Heart-Shaped Box
by sofia313
Summary: Mikael forced Klaus to marry a girl he never wanted and who he thought he could never love. She was a dutiful wife, but could she ever be anything more to him.
1. Chapter 1

10th century

As Niklaus stood in front of a stone altar, watching a dark-haired girl walking towards him, he could only think about one thing. Why couldn't that girl be Tatia? It wasn't fair. Tatia was the one he wanted. The one he loved. Unfortunately his father had seen that and of course he had wanted to take that from Niklaus.

Elijah wanted Tatia as well and Mikael had wanted to make sure she wouldn't choose Niklaus over his older brother. It wasn't fair. Niklaus didn't want this marriage, but his father hadn't left him much choice. Mikael and the girl's father had backed Niklaus into a corner. They had arranged him and the girl in the woods alone without a chaperone. Nothing had happened, Niklaus had barely spoken to the girl, but her father had demanded this marriage.

If Niklaus would have refused after "ruining the girl's reputation" he would have been banished from the village. Maybe that would have been better than this. Niklaus sighed and glanced at his sister. Rebekah had begged him to agree to this, she didn't want him to leave the village. He most certainly didn't want to leave her, so he would do this.

Kol, Elijah and Finn were standing behind him, but he didn't look at them. Henrik was standing with Esther, he smiled at Niklaus. The whole village was here, celebrating the wedding. There was plenty of food and ale, Mikael had made sure that everyone would remember this feast. Obviously he hadn't done any of it for Niklaus, he had only wanted to demonstrate the wealth of their family.

Niklaus pressed his lips together and glanced at his bride. She was wearing a modest wedding gown and she had flowers in her hair. He didn't think that she was ugly, but she was nothing comparing to Tatia. Brown curls, olive skin, curvaceous body… His bride had none of those. Her hair was black, her skin pale and her body bony. She had got used to hard labor.

That wasn't a bad thing he supposed, at least she was hardworking. Very different than Tatia. Niklaus had always loved her smile and their conversations. His bride however didn't seem to be very talkative and he had never seen her smiling. Kol had suspected that perhaps she wasn't very smart. She and her father stopped in front of the altar.

"Who gives this woman away?" the village elder asked.

"I do," her father replied.

"Do you willingly transfer your power of guardianship and protection over this woman to this man?"

"I do."

Niklaus held out his hand and said the words he was supposed to say, thanking the girl's father for his gift. Gift, sure. As he took her hand, he promised to take her under his protection. The village elder tied their wrists together and said some more meaningless words. Niklaus couldn't really concentrate, he was hoping for this to be over already.

He said the words the village elder wanted him to say, but to him they were nothing more than empty, meaningless words. He didn't feel anything toward this girl, he barely knew her. Yet he was now tied to her. The thought filled him with bitterness as he glanced at his father. Hopefully Mikael was happy now after managing to ruin Niklaus' whole life. Bastard.

"You may now seal your union with a kiss," the village elder said.

Niklaus hadn't really listened, so he didn't react before Kol shoved him.

"You are supposed to kiss her now," Kol whispered.

Niklaus swallowed and looked at his bride. There was no expression on her face; she looked at him calmly with her dark eyes. Alright, a kiss… He leaned forward and touched her lips briefly with his. Everyone cheered. Almost everyone. From the corner of his eye, he saw Tatia. Her arms were crossed and she was looking at him accusatively. Surely she knew that he would have never done this, if he would have had a choice? This girl, Mag, who was now his wife, could never ever replace Tatia. How could he ever be happy without his true love?


	2. Chapter 2

**Warning, mature content**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

"How could you?" Tatia snapped and shoved Niklaus. "After all your pretty words and declarations of love, how could you wed that girl?"

Niklaus looked at her desperately, begging her to understand. He had just managed to sneak away from the wedding feast and follow Tatia into the woods.

"I never wanted to wed her, you know that…"

"Is she prettier than me?"

"No! No, no, of course not."

"Do you love her?"

"No, I barely know her."

"Do you love me?"

Niklaus took her hands between his own.

"You know I do. More than anything."

She snorted and shook her head.

"Clearly not enough. If you would truly love me, you would have fought harder."

"Tatia, please, I did not have a choice. I would have been banished…"

"Would that have been worse than betraying me?" she asked coldly.

Niklaus bowed his head, he felt completely defeated.

"I…I couldn't leave my family. My sister…"

"You betrayed me, Niklaus. I gave myself to you and you betrayed me."

"I am so sorry, I…"

He didn't have time to finish his sentence when she twined her arms around the back of his neck, pulling his head down so his lips met hers. The kiss was fierce, more passionate than ever before. He groaned and pulled her tightly against him while his hands caressed her perfect body. She rubbed herself against him and slid her tongue into his mouth, teasing him until he was painfully aroused. Then she pulled away and smiled at him.

"Here is something to think about when you are between your wife's legs tonight," she purred.

Niklaus didn't have time to reply when she stepped closer and touched his erection through his pants.

"My wedding gift for you."

With that she turned around and marched away. It took a long while before Niklaus managed to pull himself together enough to return to the feast. It was getting dark and the campfires had already been lit. People were laughing and talking, some of the guests were dancing around the fire. The musicians were playing; people seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Tatia was sitting next to Elijah, she was smiling at him. Finally Niklaus noticed his newlywed wife; she was sitting at the end of the long table by herself. Quietly he moved beside her, he didn't even try to explain his absence. Not that she asked. Neither of them spoke, he concentrated on drinking. He didn't think that he had ever wanted to get drunk more than he did now. Could this day get any worse?

Apparently it could. People were starting to gather around Niklaus and his wife. Unfortunately he knew what that meant; they were going to send the newlyweds to consummate their marriage. Reluctantly Niklaus stood up and offered his hand to his wife. She took it and they were both lifted up and carried to the cottage that would be their home.

"Bed her well! Bed her well! Bed her well!" Niklaus heard some men cheering. He still heard their voices when he closed the door behind him and Mag. The cottage had been prepared for them, there were candles burning and the bed was ready. This was the first time when they had really been alone together and now he was supposed to bed her.

"So…" he started awkwardly. "What did you think about the wedding feast?"

That sounded stupid even in his own ears, but he couldn't think of anything else to say. He really felt the need to say something.

"It was fine," she replied. Her voice was calm; she didn't seem to be nervous. Surely she must be.

"Yes…"

She looked at him calmly, waiting for him to continue. When he didn't, she started to undress.

"Wait, don't you want to talk first?" he heard himself saying.

She dropped her wedding gown on the floor and looked at him.

"What do you wish to talk about?"

"I don't know, something. Are you not at all nervous?"

"Yes," she replied. "I am aware that this will hurt, so I would like to get it out of the way."

"Right. Look… I am not going to force myself on you."

"We are married, so you have every right to do this," she replied.

"Yes, but… "

He sighed and gave up. Perhaps she was right; maybe it would be best to just get this over with.

"Alright, continue," he sighed.

She did, it didn't take long when she was standing naked in front of him. He bit his bottom lip while observing her body. She wasn't as bony as he had thought; she did have some curves, although her breasts were quite small. Smaller than… No, he most certainly wasn't going to think about Tatia now. Yet he did, how could he not. Damn her… Mag didn't move, she waited patiently for him to say something.

"Alright…" he finally managed to say. "You know what happens now, don't you?"

She nodded.

"I do."

"Good. Good."

He hesitated for a moment before removing his clothes. The look in her eyes was cautious now as she observed his body. It wasn't difficult to tell that she had never seen a naked man before.

"Alright… Do you have some questions?" he asked, again feeling stupid.

She shook her head and walked over to the bed. He followed her as she lied down on her back. Silently he climbed on top of her and looked at her face. Her body felt tense, he could tell that she was nervous. Unfortunately he didn't really know how he could calm her down. This was awkward; there was no way around that.

"Try to relax," he murmured. "I will be as careful as I can."

"Thank you," she replied sincerely.

What had she expected then, that he would take her forcefully? Maybe. They didn't know one another, how was she supposed know what to expect. He suppressed a sigh and leaned towards her until he was close enough to touch her lips with his. He kept the kiss light and gentle, only hoping to help to relax a bit.

Kissing a stranger felt very weird to him, but he forced himself to keep in mind that this was probably much worse to her. Slowly he moved lowed to kiss her neck and chest. She held still beneath him as his tongue and teeth made their way down between her breasts. When he took her nipple into his mouth and sucked it, he finally got some kind of reaction from her. She gasped and arched her back.

Satisfied by that, he continued playing with her breasts until both of her nipples were hard. He felt her fingernails dig into his skin as her back arched again. His knee slid between hers, parting her legs with no resistance. His hand ran down the length of her thigh to her knee, stroking the sensitive skin on the underside of it. Sliding up the back of her thigh, lifting her leg as he went, he felt that she was ready. Carefully he slipped a single finger inside of her. She tensed immediately, but she didn't make a sound.

"I am sorry, I know this hurts on the first time," he murmured.

"I am fine," she replied tensely.

Trying to be as careful as he could, he moved his finger in and out of her until she wasn't so tense anymore. At least she was wet, hopefully that would make this at least a little easier for her. Slowly he guided himself inside of her, making her dig her nails deeper into his shoulders. Obviously she was tight and he couldn't deny that he enjoyed feeling her walls around him. She felt different than Tatia who had given birth.

 _"Here is something to think about when you are between your wife's legs tonight…"_

He let out a groan and thrust deeper inside his wife. It felt good. He closed his eyes and kept pumping in and out of her. She didn't move or make a sound, she simply lied there. Finally he got his release and spilled his juices inside of her. He was panting as he opened his eyes and looked at her.

"I am sorry," he murmured. "Are you alright?"

"You are crushing me," she replied.

"Oh…"

Quickly he brought his hands up to support his weight over her before he managed to roll off of her. After that they both lied there silently. He pulled a blanket over them both before he rolled on his side, turning his back on his wife. She did the same. He felt the need to say something, but he didn't really have any words. Hopefully thing would eventually get easier.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

When Niklaus opened his eyes, his first thought was very clear. His head hurt. Apparently he had drunk too much last night. Well, he has had a good reason. He had been forced to wed a girl he didn't even know. Yet he had bedded her. And after that as he had fallen asleep, he had dreamt of Tatia. She should be the one lying beside him.

He sighed and tried to remind himself that his little wife probably hadn't wanted to wed him any more than he had wanted to wed her. What was done was done; they were now stuck with each other. Slowly he rolled on his back, ready to face her, but she wasn't there. He frowned, where was she? He got up and noticed some bread, apples and berries on the table. Probably his breakfast. Not that he had much appetite.

Yet he picked up an apple and ate it. Thankfully there was also water on the table, he was thirsty. After getting dressed, he headed outside. The cottage where he and Mag would live was right next to his family's home; they would share a well, a stable and a henhouse. Niklaus was the second one of his siblings who was married.

Finn had gotten married many moons ago and his cottage was across the courtyard, but he had lost his wife in childbirth and he had been grieving ever since. Mikael had kept pressuring Elijah to take a wife already, but there was only one woman Elijah wanted. The same woman Niklaus loved.

"Good morning, brother," Kol's voice suddenly said, he was smirking at Niklaus. "How was your night?"

"It was fine," Niklaus murmured.

Kol raised an eyebrow.

"That bad, huh? Was she not a virgin?"

"Yes, she was and as I told you, it was fine."

"Hmm. Why are you so grumpy then?"

"I am not grumpy, you simply annoy me."

"Sure, whatever you say."

Niklaus rolled his eyes and looked around.

"Have you seen her?"

Kol smirked.

"Your wife? Lost her already, did you?"

"Kol…"

"She left somewhere with mother. I would imagine that mother wants to know were you a good boy last night."

"Funny," Niklaus snorted. "You just wait when you get married."

"Oh, I am not planning to get married, why would I? I can bed a woman when I want to, mother feeds me and I can concentrate on my training."

Niklaus bit his bottom lip and looked around.

"Father is not here," Kol said. They both knew that Mikael didn't want Esther to teach Kol witchcraft. It seemed that he was the only one of her children who had inherited her abilities.

"What about children?" Niklaus asked. "You do not wish to ever become a father?"

Kol looked thoughtful.

"I don't know. Probably not."

"Why not?"

Kol shrugged.

"I doubt that I would be much of a father. How about you? Are you hoping to become a father soon?"

Niklaus wasn't sure what to say, he hadn't thought about it much. It would have been nice to know something about the mother of his child first. All he knew was that she was the oldest child in her family; she had a younger brother and sister. Her father was a friend of Mikael's and her mother was quite young. Sure Niklaus had seen her few times before all of this had happened, but he had never spoken to her. To be honest, she wasn't the kind of girl he would usually notice. She was nothing like Tatia.

* * *

"How are you feeling, dear?" Esther asked politely. "Do you have pain?"

"No," Mag lied. She wasn't sure what kind of an answer her new mother-in-law wanted to hear, but she thought it would be best to play it safe. The truth was that she was very sore; she doubted that she would be able to sit without pain.

"That's good. Everything went well last night, I trust?"

"Yes."

"And my son treated you kindly?"

"Yes."

Mag couldn't understand the purpose of these questions. What difference did it make how her husband had treated her? They were married, tied to each other. Whether they wanted to or not. He most certainly hadn't wanted to wed her. Unfortunately for him, Mag's father had needed to get rid of her and Mikael had suggested marrying her off to his son. No one had asked what she thought, but then again, no one usually did.

Mag's mother, just like many other women, had been captured from her home village by the people of Mag's father. Her mother hadn't chosen the marriage with her father. She had given him two sons and a daughter, but the plague had killed both of Mag's brothers in the old world. She had been born here and she had lost her mother when she had still been a small child.

Her father had taken a new, younger wife soon after that. She had given birth to a son and a daughter. Mag's stepmother had never liked her; she had made that more than clear. She had wanted Mag out of her household as soon as possible. Hopefully she was happy now.

"Listen, dear," Esther continued after a moment of silence. "I want you to know that if you have problems with my son, you can come to me. If you notice him acting…aggressively or something like that."

"Thank you," Mag replied cautiously.

Was she trying to say that her son was violent? He hadn't been last night, but that didn't really mean anything. He hadn't wanted to wed her, so maybe he would get back at her by making her life miserable. If he would, then she would just have to deal with that. Her life had never been easy, but she had learned how to cope. She didn't expect anything from anyone and she didn't express her thoughts or feelings. Those were things people could use against her. She did what she had to do and she didn't complain. Why would she when no one cared what she thought.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Niklaus sat at the table, looking at the plate in front of him. The stew looked and smelled very good. After taking the first bite, he discovered that it also tasted good. At least his wife could cook. He looked up and noticed her standing couple of steps away from the table.

"Are you not hungry?" he asked. She must be, she had worked the whole day. Now they were alone in their cottage, having supper.

"I can wait," she replied.

He frowned.

"Why?"

"Do you not wish to have your supper in peace?"

"You mean you would eat after I am finished?"

"Yes."

That sounded strange, but perhaps it had been normal in her home. He on the other hand didn't see any point in that kind of an arrangement.

"You can sit and eat with me," he said. "There's no reason why you should wait."

She looked at him a bit cautiously, but she obeyed. They ate in silence; he was trying to think of something to say.

"This is good," he finally said.

"I am glad to hear that," she replied.

"Yes… You are a good cook."

"Thank you."

Silence. Couldn't she even try, why did he have to do all the work? Not that he could complain about the service, she made sure that his goblet wasn't empty and she brought him more stew before he had time to even think about getting up. After they were finished, she cleared the table and prepared the bed.

"Shall I undress?" she asked.

He had to admit that he was surprised by her calm question.

"Perhaps not tonight," he muttered. He imagined that she was still hurting and he wanted to give her time to recover before bedding her again. Not to mention he didn't feel like doing that right now. As they lied on the bed silently, he felt nothing but bitter. He had seen Tatia today, she had been with Elijah. She had smiled, laughed, playfully touched Elijah's neck…

And here he was, stuck with a woman who probably didn't even know how to smile. It wasn't fair. He glanced at his wife and felt nothing but anger towards her. She had ruined his life. Now when he thought about it, she had probably done all of that on purpose. She had helped Mikael to do this to him. Of course she had, who would have ever wedded her otherwise. A part of him understood how cruel and unfair his thoughts were, but right now he didn't care. He needed someone to blame and that someone was her.

* * *

2 months later

Mag had always liked plants. She enjoyed nurturing them, making them flourish. Her mother had taught her to respect plants and the many things they offered to people. Food, medicine, beauty to admire… Peace. She always felt peaceful when she felt the ground under her bare feet. Working in Esther's vegetable garden was her favorite chore.

"Hi, Mag."

She looked up and saw her husband's youngest brother.

"Hello, Henrik," she replied.

He was a polite boy, she liked him. Niklaus was clearly very fond of him as well.

"Do you need some help?" Henrik asked.

"No, thank you, I am almost finished."

She was on her knees on the ground, uprooting the weeds. The day was quite hot; she swept the back of her wrist across her forehead to get the sweat off _._ She probably had dirt all over her face.

"I was wondering, could I have supper with you and Nik tonight?" Henrik asked.

"Of course, if your mother approves."

Judging by the look on Henrik's face, he hadn't asked Esther yet. He liked to have supper in his brother's home quite often and Mag was glad to have him as their guest. Niklaus acted very differently when Henrik was there, he talked and laughed. When they were alone, he didn't talk much. Lately he had spent a lot of time in the tavern. He wasn't happy, not with her. Everyone in the village knew that she wasn't the one he had wanted.

She had heard rumors that he would have been unfaithful to her, but she ignored those rumors. He had never been violent toward her and he made sure that they had food on the table, so she didn't think that she had any right to complain. She had expected things to be much worse. When he bedded her, which didn't happen very often, he wasn't rough or forceful. Not that he was very excited either; the whole thing seemed to be somewhat of a duty to him.

"I think mother will approve," Henrik said smiling. "As long as I won't tell her that I like your food more than hers."

Mag couldn't help but smile; he was a very sweet boy.

"Thank you for saying that."

"It's true, but please don't tell mother, I don't want to make her feel bad."

"I won't."

Mag was still smiling as she finished her chores in the garden. What a wonderful boy Henrik was, Esther must be very proud of him. Hopefully he could have supper with her and Niklaus tonight. She went to her home and noticed that Niklaus had forgotten to bring firewood into the cottage. She hadn't seen him since this morning; she had no idea where he was. She was just about to go and chop some wood when someone knocked on the door.

"Yes?"

The door opened and Finn entered the cottage with an armful of firewood.

"Hello," he said. "I apologize for disturbing you, but I was chopping wood and I thought that perhaps I can also give you and Niklaus a hand."

"Oh… Thank you, that was very thoughtful of you."

"No need to thank me," he murmured. "I have time."

Mag wasn't sure what to say. The poor man had lost his wife and child; clearly he wasn't nearly recovered from that.

"Would you like to have supper with Niklaus and me tonight?" she asked. "Henrik is coming as well."

"I do not wish to bother you…"

"We would be happy to have you here," she assured.

"Well… In that case, I would be honored to accept your invitation."

"I am happy to hear that. I will see you tonight."

It seemed that she needed to start cooking right away if she wanted to be ready in time. She barely had time to get started when Kol entered the cottage without knocking, as he usually did.

"Hello, darling," he greeted her and sat at the table. "What a day, I am exhausted. Do you have anything to drink?"

"I have buttermilk and water," she replied.

"No ale?"

"I am afraid not."

"Oh well, can I have some water then?"

She poured him a goblet of water and handed it to him.

"Thank you," he said smiling and winked at her. "So… I noticed that you are cooking."

"Yes."

"Would there happen to be a place at your table for me?"

"Sure."

"Great, thank you, darling, I really love your cooking. Nik is a very lucky man."

Mag didn't reply to that since they both knew it wasn't true. Apparently her stepmother had been right when she had called Mag hideously ugly. She had said that Mag didn't even have a body of a woman; she had no real breasts or hips. Not that Mag had ever thought that she was beautiful, but she had hoped for a husband who wouldn't be repulsed by her. She didn't know was Niklaus repulsed by her, but she knew that she wasn't the one whose name he called in his sleep. She had tried her best to please him, but she couldn't be someone else.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

2 months later

Mag sat at the table, waiting for Niklaus to come home. She was nervous, but also a little hopeful. Not that she would have ever admitted it to anyone, not even to herself. She had been ready to give up and accept the fact that her husband didn't care about her and he never would. She had sworn to herself that she was done trying. Why should she try when he didn't?

He could do whatever he wanted with whoever he wanted, she wasn't going to care. It had sounded easy until she have had a long talk with Rebekah when they had been washing clothes in the river. Rebekah had told her how their father had treated Niklaus ever since he had been a small child. Mag had felt sympathy, she had also been abused. Perhaps not as badly as Niklaus had been, but she believed that she understood him a little better now.

Of course she hadn't told Rebekah anything about her marriage; she had never talked about that to anyone. Besides, Niklaus was Rebekah's brother and she adored him. Mag liked Rebekah, but she knew better than to confide in her husband's sister. Or his brothers or parents. Esther had always been kind to her and even Mikael had said that Niklaus should be pleased for having such a hardworking wife.

Niklaus' family had treated Mag much better than her own family ever had and she knew how lucky she was. She bit her bottom lip nervously and touched her stomach. What would Niklaus say? She was hoping that he would be happy. Maybe he could at least try to build his life with her. With them. So far Rebekah was the only one who knew and she had been more than excited. She had been sure that Niklaus would be a wonderful father. Hopefully that was true. Mag stood up immediately when the door opened and her husband walked in.

"Hello," she greeted him. "Your supper is ready…"

"I am sorry, but I cannot stay," he cut in. "I promised to meet some friends of mine at the tavern."

"Oh…"

"Yes, I just dropped by to let you know. No need to wait for me, I will probably be back late."

"Niklaus, there is something I need to tell you," she muttered. Her hope was still there, she just needed to tell him.

"What is it?" he asked.

She looked at him calmly and put her hand on her stomach.

"I am with child."

He froze and stared at her disbelievingly for a moment.

"What? Are you…sure?"

"Yes."

His mouth floundered open and closed for a while before he managed to speak.

"That's…wonderful. Truly. Wonderful news."

She was really hoping now, she even dared to smile. He walked over to her, patted her shoulder and briefly kissed her cheek.

"Wonderful news," he repeated. "You should lie down and rest, I will be as quiet as I can when I come home."

In that moment all her hope vanished. She had been nothing but a fool for believing this to change anything.

"Good night," he said and patted her shoulder again before walking out.

She held still for a long while after he had left. She wasn't going to shed a tear, he didn't deserve her tears. He could run to his "friends" and stay there. Did he honestly believe that Mag didn't know? She was neither blind nor stupid. He had someone else. Maybe some tavern wench, maybe someone else, Mag didn't know or care. All she cared about was her child.

Carefully she touched her stomach and vowed to her son or daughter that she would look after them. To herself she vowed that she was done being humiliated. Determinedly she marched out; she needed a have a word with her mother-in-law. Of course she couldn't tell Esther everything, but she knew exactly what to say. Esther was a woman as well, Mag wanted to believe that she would be able to understand.

* * *

"Mag is with child," Niklaus murmured.

"Really?" Tatia hummed. "Well, congratulations."

They were lying naked in each other's arms, just like so many times before. The only difference was that this time there was no euphoria. No perfect contentment. What Niklaus felt now was something completely different. Something he didn't want to feel.

"The little mouse finally managed to do something right then," Tatia continued.

"Don't talk about her like that," Niklaus muttered.

Tatia burst into laughter.

"Why? Because you have suddenly started to care about her feelings?"

Niklaus didn't reply. The unpleasant feeling in his chest was getting worse and worse.

"What are we doing?" he finally managed to say. "You are engaged to my brother."

"Yes, as I was last night. And the night before that. I was not the one who came to you. If I recall, you made it very clear how badly you need me…"

"We must stop this."

"Why? Because she is with child? Perhaps I will also be soon. I am sure Elijah would be delighted. He is very fond of my daughter, but of course he also wants children of his own. Or perhaps they will be yours."

Niklaus got up; he couldn't bear to hear any more. He was disgusted with himself.

"Where are you going?" Tatia asked. "We still have plenty of time before dawn."

"No. This ends right now."

"Sure," Tatia said smiling. "Whatever you say. We both know you won't be able to stay away for long. You and I are meant to be together, Niklaus. That wife of yours, she can never make you feel the way I make you feel."

Niklaus got dressed as quickly as he could and stormed out. He felt the need to throw up. What was wrong with him? He was going to become a father. He needed to take care of his child. And Mag… She hadn't deserved this. She had been a good wife. He needed to show her that he appreciated her efforts. On his way home, he picked few flowers. If he wasn't mistaken, she liked flowers. He was still a little drunk and he couldn't really comprehend how late it was, so he yanked the door open and called for his wife.

"Mag! Mag, I need to talk to you…"

"Nik!" an angry female voice snapped. "What do you think you are doing, we are trying to sleep?"

"Bekah? What are you doing here?"

His sister got up; she was lying on a cot.

"I will stay here for now; your wife needs a hand."

"What?"

"This is her first child and mother thinks she should not have to be by herself…"

"What are you talking about; she is not by herself…"

"It's alright, Niklaus," Mag stated calmly. "I know it would be unfair to ask you not to spend time with your friends, so Esther and I thought this would be a good solution. Rebekah was kind enough to agree."

"And I am glad I did," Rebekah huffed and crossed her arms. "No offence, Nik, but you stink. I better sleep in the bed with Mag, you can sleep on the cot. And you better bathe first thing in the morning."

Niklaus didn't have time to reply when Rebekah had already lied down beside Mag.

"But…"

"Good night, Niklaus," Mag stated and turned her back on him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

8 days later

Niklaus looked at his wife who was walking towards the well. She looked just as calm as always, but there was something different about her now. Some kind of quiet serenity. She looked…happy. No thanks to him, that was for sure. She was looking forward to become a mother. Rebekah was also looking forward to become an aunt; she had kept fussing around Mag ever since moving in with her and Niklaus.

He had tried to make both women understand that there was no need for Rebekah to stay with them, but they had disagreed. Rebekah had said that she wasn't going anywhere and Mag had calmly explained that this was for the best. She didn't want to bother her husband or cause him any inconvenience, he had every right to go out whenever he wanted to.

She had never complained about anything, not to mention raised her voice or demanded anything from him and someone who didn't know better would have thought that nothing had changed. She did her chores, prepared his meals, washed his clothes and calmly answered when he tried to start a conversation with her. Yet something had changed, he could see it in her eyes. The coldness.

He had hurt her, but she didn't show it. Instead she had found a way to make sure that he wouldn't be able to touch her. Did she really think that he would, if she would tell him not to? That was the thing; she probably thought that she didn't have the right to refuse him. They had never really talked about these things; he didn't know how she had been raised. It wasn't difficult to tell that she hadn't been treated well in her home.

He felt nothing but ashamed now for blaming her for any of this. She most certainly wasn't a deceitful woman. If she had purposely arranged herself alone in the woods with him, it hadn't been her own choice. She had probably been following her father's orders. Or Mikael's. Any case, he was sure that she hadn't chosen the marriage with him. She was just about to lift water from the well when Finn hurried to her.

"Please, allow me," he said. "You should avoid all heavy lifting."

She smiled at him.

"Thank you, you are very kind, but I think…"

"I will help her," Niklaus snapped as he marched over to them "I am capable of taking care of my wife without anyone's help."

Finn raised an eyebrow.

"I am sure you are, I was merely trying to…"

"She won't need your help."

"Alright," Finn replied coolly.

"Thank you," Mag said quickly. "And thank you for your advice, dandelion leaves in hot water have really helped me with my nausea."

"You are welcome," Finn replied. "It helped Maud and I am glad if it helped you also."

He gave Mag a brief smile and walked away.

"Mag…" Niklaus started.

"He was only trying to help," she stated calmly.

"I know," Niklaus muttered, he felt like an idiot. "I am sorry."

"It is not me who you should apologize to."

Niklaus bit his bottom lip; she most certainly was the one who he should apologize to. The only question was how?

"Will you bring the water inside?" she asked before he had time to think of anything smart to say.

"Yes, of course."

"Thank you," she stated. "I will go and feed the chickens."

He sighed as he watched her walking away. She walked past Kol who smiled at her.

"Good morning, darling."

"Good morning," she replied.

"Well, your wife looks very nice," Kol said as he reached Niklaus. "Pregnancy suits her."

Niklaus frowned.

"Watch it."

"What? It's the truth. Do not try to tell me that you have not noticed it."

Yes, Niklaus had noticed it and he agreed. Pregnancy really suited Mag. Unfortunately he couldn't spend any time alone with her, thanks to Rebekah.

"So, how is she?" Kol asked. "Any problems?"

"No," Niklaus muttered.

The truth was that he didn't really know how she was. She didn't talk to him about her pregnancy and when he asked, she said that everything was fine. He hadn't known that she had been nauseous and he certainly hadn't known that Finn had given her advice. Things couldn't go on like this, he had to do something. He needed to get Rebekah out of his home, if he ever wanted to make things right with his wife.

She was carrying his child; he wanted to make her to understand that he would look after her and the child. Of course he would. Yet a part of him was afraid of becoming a father. After being raised by Mikael, what kind of a father would he be? Well, he most certainly was never going to abuse his child. There had to be a way to make Mag give him a chance to show her that he was going to put his family first. He was never going to…

"Good morning," Tatia's voice suddenly said. Oh no… She was smiling at him and Kol sweetly.

"Good morning," Kol replied.

Tatia walked over to them, keeping her eyes on Kol.

"Hello, Kol, how are you?"

"Fine, nothing new."

"Really?" Tatia hummed, she was giving Kol her sweetest smile. "No one special in your life yet?"

"No, not yet."

"Well, I must say that I am surprised. A handsome man like you could surely have any girl he wants."

Kol smiled too.

"Yes… There is actually someone I like, but she happens to be spoken for."

"Really?" Tatia giggled and blinked her eyes.

"And who might this lucky girl be?"

Kol leaned towards her, he was still smiling.

"I think you know her quite well."

"Oh, you are naughty; you better hope that I won't tell Elijah…"

"And there she is!" Kol announced as Mag stepped out of the henhouse. "Excuse me."

Tatia looked stunned as Kol turned his back on her and marched over to Mag.

"Well… I had forgotten how rude your brother is," Tatia stated icily. "No wonder he is not married."

Niklaus didn't reply, he knew why Tatia was here and why she had sweet-talked Kol. She wanted to make Niklaus jealous.

"Is Elijah here?" she asked.

"Yes, I think so," Niklaus murmured.

"Tatia?" Elijah's voice said before she had time to say anything else.

"Good morning, my love," she purred smiling and hurried to him.

"Good morning. This is a nice surprise."

"Oh, I missed you so much that I couldn't stay away."

She kissed him passionately, knowing that Niklaus was watching. What she didn't know was that in that moment Niklaus realized something. He didn't want Tatia. Slowly he looked at his wife and her kind smile as she talked with Kol. She was the one he wanted. He wanted a family with her. He wanted her to love him. Could he have that, he didn't know, but he needed to at least try.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Now look at that," Mikael said. "That is a good woman. A good wife."

"Yes," Esther replied.

They were looking at their daughter-in-law who was working in the vegetable garden.

"Almost too good for the boy," Mikael huffed. "If I would have known, I would have arranged her to Kol or Finn. Or Elijah, if he wouldn't be so damn stubborn."

"Yes, he seems to be very fond of the Petrova girl," Esther stated dryly.

"A widow who has a child," Mikael snorted. "That is not what I hoped for Elijah."

Esther didn't reply, but she agreed. Not to mention Niklaus had also courted Tatia before his marriage. There have been a rivalry between Elijah and Niklaus and Ester had known that one of her sons would get hurt. Mikael had only wanted to make sure that Elijah would finally take a wife, even if she would be a widow. None of that was Esther's biggest concern right now though.

The child Mag was carrying, Niklaus' child, would have werewolf blood in it's veins. Esther needed to make sure that no one would ever find that out. The easiest way to handle this would be the same way she had handled the problem with Niklaus. She knew that wolf children were more aggressive and stronger than normal children, so she needed to suppress those qualities.

With Niklaus it had been easy, she had simply given him a necklace that entailed a very powerful spell and told him to always wear it. Perhaps something similar would work with the child. Thankfully she still had time before Mag would give birth.

"Who would have ever known that the boy would give us our first grandchild," Mikael murmured. "Although I must say that I am surprised that a weakling like him was able to get his wife pregnant so quickly. The girl must be very fertile." Mikael paused and sighed. "I really should have asked Magnus to marry her off to Kol."

"I doubt that he is ready for marriage," Esther replied.

Mikael glanced at her harshly.

"I hope you have not encouraged him to disobey me, my dear."

Esther met his gaze calmly.

"Mikael, he is very gifted, he has been ever since he was a child. With a proper training, he could become one of the most powerful witches I have ever met. Or perhaps even the most powerful one. It's in his blood, a part of who he is. Taking that away from him would be the same thing than taking his arm or his leg."

For a very brief moment Esther thought that she might have as well been talking about Niklaus. The wolf was a part of him and she had taken it from him. No, that wasn't the same thing. She had done it to protect Niklaus. And herself. But mostly Niklaus. If Mikael would ever know the truth… She had made sure that he wouldn't. She had done the right thing.

* * *

Niklaus took a deep breath. This was it, his chance. Rebekah had gone to the river with Henrik and Mag was cooking, so she wouldn't be able to run away. He had practiced what he was going to say to her and he hoped that she would listen. He had even bathed in the pond and picked flowers for her. Dandelions, her favorite flowers.

Nervously he approached the cottage when he noticed something. His necklace was gone. Damn it, he must have dropped it when he had been bathing. He needed to go and look for it; the necklace had been a gift from his mother. No. Making things right with his wife was more important. Surely his mother would understand. He bit his bottom lip before opening the door. Unfortunately Mag wasn't alone; Kol was sitting at the table. There were flower petals floating in the air, Mag was staring at them in wonder.

"That's amazing," she gasped.

Kol was smiling; he looked more than pleased with himself.

"Oh, this is nothing, just a little something I do when I'm bored." He paused and glanced at Niklaus. "Hello, Nik."

Niklaus didn't reply, for some reason he felt anger. Not, not anger, something else. Something he had never felt before.

 _My woman. My territory. A rival._

"Get out," he snarled.

Both Kol and Mag looked stunned.

"Excuse me…" Kol started.

"Out!" Niklaus growled. "Now!"

"Kol, please go," Mag said quickly before Kol managed to say anything.

Kol hesitated, looking at Niklaus with a worried expression.

"What is wrong with you, Nik…"

"Please, please go," Mag pleaded, she sounded almost desperate. "Please."

Niklaus felt a very strong urge to attack his rival, but at the same time he noticed his woman's distress. None of his thoughts felt like his own thoughts, more like some kind of an animal instinct. He stared at his woman after his rival was gone.

"Niklaus?" she said.

 _Fear. His woman was afraid of him. Why?_ She backed away as he approached her. Like a predator stalking its prey.

"Niklaus, nothing has happened," she said, trying to sound calm. "You have no reason to…"

She gasped as he suddenly trapped her against the wall, pressing his palms flat on either side of her head.

"Mine," he growled and buried his face in her hair. _His woman._

 _Confusion. She couldn't understand what was happening._

"Niklaus…"

He pulled away and carefully touched her cheek.

"Mine."

He knelt in front of her and touched her little bump. _His offspring_. He nuzzled her belly and kissed it before looking up.

"Mine."

"Yes, yours," she said quietly.

He stood up and cupped her face. They looked at each other for a long while before he kissed her. The kiss was gentle, but also possessive. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tightly against him. Everything felt very simple now. _His woman, his offspring, his territory._ Everything was like it was supposed to be.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Mag didn't resist when Niklaus kissed her, she could tell that something was wrong with him. At first she had thought that he was drunk, but she couldn't smell the alcohol. No, this was something else. All her instincts were telling her to be careful. It didn't seem that he was going to hurt her, but he wasn't himself. Had she made a mistake when she had asked Kol to leave? She had thought that Niklaus was drunk and feared that he would be aggressive.

Her father had often been jealous and violent towards her mother when he had been drunk. He had called her mother a whore and always mentioned how much he had paid for her. In the end he had never seen her as his equal, more like his property. He hadn't treated his second wife like that. Of course he hadn't, she was his own people.

She had often called Mag a slave's daughter. That was probably the reason why she had thought that she could treat Mag however she wanted. Mag's half-brother and half-sister had followed their mother's example by humiliating Mag whenever they have had a chance. Mag's father hadn't cared about any of that. He hadn't said anything when his young wife had found new ways to torment Mag.

She had made Mag to stand beside the table when rest of the family ate. When Mag had been lucky, she had gotten their leftovers. When she hadn't been so lucky, her siblings had dropped some food on the floor and her stepmother had forced her to eat it while her siblings had laughed. Mag had been nothing but grateful when she had noticed that Niklaus' family wasn't like her own.

Everyone in the village knew that Esther was a healer, just like Ayanna, but there were rumors that they were more than that. Mag hadn't been sure if she believed those rumors, but she knew now that they were true. Esther was a witch. So was Kol. He had explained to her that there was nothing to fear. Magic came from nature; it could be used to do good things.

Kol had said that he wanted to do good things; he wanted to help people with his gift. As far as Mag knew, Niklaus wasn't a witch, but his behavior could still have something to do with magic. She startled as her legs suddenly hit something. Niklaus had backed her up towards the bed, he was still kissing her. His intentions were very clear.

"Niklaus," she murmured and tried to pull away. "Niklaus, please stop."

She knew that denying him in his current state was a risk, but so was submitting to him. What if he would lose control and hurt their child? That was a risk she wasn't willing to take. She could only pray that he wouldn't ignore her pleads.

"Niklaus," she said as calmly as she could and cupped his face. He licked his lips; she could see the hunger in his eyes.

"Niklaus, please listen to me. I would like us to talk. Is that alright?"

He didn't reply, he tried to kiss her again.

"No, talk," she said as firmly as she dared. "Please."

His eyebrows furrowed, but he didn't resist when she took his hand and led him towards the table.

"Please, sit."

Thankfully he did. She tried to think fast, she needed something that would hopefully calm him down. Suddenly she remembered her mother's words.

 _"Chamomile for calming nerves."_

Thankfully she had many plants and herbs in jars, including chamomile. She had just been boiling water when Niklaus had arrived; quickly she poured some hot water into a goblet and added few dried chamomile flowers.

"Here, drink this," she said as she handed the goblet to Niklaus. "Be careful, it's hot."

He looked at the goblet and frowned.

"Please," she said. "Just take a sip. It's good."

He didn't seem very pleased, but fortunately he obeyed and emptied the whole goblet. She observed him cautiously, already thinking what to do if this wouldn't help. Hopefully Kol hadn't gone far; maybe he would know what to do. Niklaus was quiet for a long while before he finally looked at her. He looked more or less shocked.

"Mag, I… I am so sorry, I have no idea what came into me. The last thing I wanted was to scare you."

She was more than relieved; he seemed to be himself again.

"I am sorry…"

"That's alright."

He shook his head.

"No, it's not. I don't understand…"

She hesitated for a brief moment before touching his shoulder.

"It's alright. Perhaps you simply need some rest. Have you slept well lately?"

He pressed his lips together; she could see the answer in his eyes.

"Or perhaps you would like to go to the tavern…"

"No," he cut in. "I do not want to go anywhere. I want to be here with you." He paused and slowly stood up. "May I?"

"Of course, this is your home."

He stepped in front of her and took her hand.

"That is not what I meant. May I be here alone with you?"

She tensed.

"Niklaus…"

"I know," he sighed. "You want Rebekah here to make sure that I won't touch you."

She wanted to deny it, but she would have been lying. Yet she was aware that he had every right to touch her. Her body was rigid as she crossed her arms.

"I am concerned about our child, so I ask you to be careful if you…"

"No," he cut in. "No, no, that's not what I meant. I wouldn't touch you against your will."

She was confused, what was he trying to say?

"I know that I hurt you," he said quietly. "Is there any chance you could forgive me?"

She didn't know what to say. He had hurt her, but he was her husband. The father of her child. And he was in many ways a good man. He didn't hit her or hurt her with cruel words. Not to mention he was asking for her forgiveness. Most men would never do something like that.

"All I want is to look after you and our child," he said. "Can I do that?"

"What about your friends?" she asked calmly. "Surely you also wish to spend time with them…"

"No. I wish to be here with you. Only with you. May I do that?"

She looked at him for a while before nodding.

"Yes, you may."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

France, 15 months later

Niklaus stared at the body of a man he had just drained. It didn't matter how many times he have done it, it didn't get any easier. Quickly he looked around, making sure that Mag wasn't here. He didn't want her to see him like this. Not that it really mattered. She didn't want him anywhere near her; she had made that very clear. She didn't want to share her grief with him.

Perhaps he should have tried harder; he just hadn't known how to comfort her. They had both lost a child, but she had also lost everything else. And now she was stuck with the monsters her husband and his siblings had become. Niklaus startled as he suddenly felt someone touching his shoulder. Kol. He had blood all over his face and he was smiling.

"Who's ready for the next course?" he asked cheerfully.

"You're all filthy gluttons," Finn snorted.

Niklaus pressed his lips together; he hated his brother's judgmental attitude. Almost as much as he hated his own weakness and Finn's attempts to "protect" Mag from the rest of them.

"And you remain ever the dullard," Kol retorted.

Rebekah was looking at the beautiful woman who was lying on the ground. She and four men had been traveling in the carriage they had attacked.

"Such pretty clothes," Rebekah sighed. "What a shame they'll go to waste."

"Rebekah, we have discussed this endless…" Elijah started.

"No, _you_ have discussed this," Rebekah cut in sharply. "None of us had any say in the matter."

Elijah sighed and rolled his eyes. Niklaus couldn't remember the last time he would have seen Elijah smiling. They had all lost so much and it was clear how messed up they all were. Henrik, Tatia, Esther, their home, their lives, their humanity… Soren. His son. An innocent little boy who had died in Mag's arms. Niklaus hadn't been there. That was something he would never be able to forgive himself.

"This lot were traveling somewhere," Rebekah continued stubbornly. "Their cart is full of silks and finery. Wherever they were off to, why can we not simply go in their stead?"

"Masquerade as nobles from a land we do not know and whose customs we cannot begin to understand. Ridiculous," Elijah replied firmly.

"You saw the castle down the road, it was practically a gala," Rebekah argued. "This bunch were headed there, they…" Rebekah paused and sighed. "Think about it, Elijah, we could live as they do, at least for a time. We could sleep in a bed and take a bath…"

"Silence," Elijah cut in, he had just heard something. All his siblings were immediately vigilant. Niklaus heard it too. A heartbeat. It was coming from the carriage. All his siblings followed Elijah as he walked over to the carriage and yanked away a blanket. There was a young man hiding under it, he seemed to be in panic. He got up as quickly as he could and tried desperately to run. Rebekah was in front of him immediately.

"Well, aren't you a handsome one," she hummed smiling.

The man was terrified; he tried to look for a way to escape.

"He looks like dessert to me," Kol stated as he appeared next to Rebekah.

"Wait, wait, wait!" the man pleaded. "I can help you. I…I am the personal servant to the Count de Martel. Of the very estate you just mentioned. I was sent to escort these guests to his home for a lengthy stay. I know their customs as well as the Count's habits. If you mean to pose as the family you have slaughtered here, then you'll need my help to carry out your ruse."

Niklaus and his siblings stared at the man for a moment before Rebekah looked at Elijah.

"Please can we keep him?"

"Rebekah, no," Elijah snorted. "What is our most important rule?"

Rebekah sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Never leave alive someone who has…"

"… seen what we are," they all finished.

"Thank you very much. A practice that has served us very well indeed," Elijah stated and took a step towards the man.

"She has a point," Finn argued, putting his hand on Elijah's shoulder. "He may be of use."

"Ah, a proper family squabble," Kol said cheerfully.

"Perhaps we should put it to a vote," Niklaus stated. "All those in favor of letting him live?"

Rebekah and Finn raised their hand.

"Those inclined to gut him?" Kol asked, raising his hand. Elijah did the same.

"Well, Nik," Kol hummed. "What shall it be?"

The young man looked at him pleadingly. Niklaus didn't have time to say anything when he heard Mag's voice.

"Stop it," she said quietly. "Have there not been enough death for one day?"

"I am sorry, Mag, but you don't have a vote here," Elijah stated.

She crossed her arms and looked at Niklaus. He understood immediately when she wanted and of course he would give it to her.

"But I do," he said. "And I say he lives."

The young man looked beyond relieved.

"Thank you, my lord, thank you."

Elijah pressed his lips together, he was pleased at all. Kol on the other hand wiped the blood from his face. Perhaps he was a monster now, but he tried to behave when Mag was present. Not that any of them ever fed in front of her. There was no expression on her face as she gave Niklaus a brief nod. He smiled at her before looking at the young man.

"So, what is your name?" he asked.

"Lucien, my lord," he replied and bowed.

"I am Niklaus, these are my brothers Elijah, Finn and Kol, my sister Rebekah and my wife Mag."

Lucien looked somewhat surprised when he heard that Mag was Niklaus' wife, but he got over that quickly and bowed again.

"Honor to meet you all."

Kol wanted clearly to say something, but he stayed quiet, probably because of Mag. Niklaus noticed that she looked tired and he doubted that she had eaten enough. A night in a bed would be just what she needed. Assuming this would actually work.

"Did you hear?" Rebekah asked smiling. "We are going to that fancy castle."

Mag looked confused.

"What?"

"Yes," Rebekah continued and tapped Lucien's shoulder. "He will teach us how to be nobles."

Mag glanced at Lucien before looking at Niklaus.

"I think we should try this," he said.

She nodded carelessly.

"Alright, if you say so."

Niklaus wanted to wrap his arms around her, but he doubted that she would let him do that. There had been no closeness between them after Soren's death; Mag didn't let Niklaus to touch her. Niklaus hated the whole situation, but he didn't know how to fix things. His wife seemed to be completely broken.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Just look at this," Rebekah sighed. "Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?"

"It's lovely," Mag replied absentmindedly. Rebekah seemed genuinely happy as she tried on one of the gowns they had found from the carriage and the last thing Mag wanted was to ruin her happiness. Perhaps Mag couldn't even remember anymore what happiness felt like, but there was no reason why everyone else around her should be miserable.

She wasn't the only one who had lost someone. Yet she didn't know how she was supposed to go on. For a brief moment she had held her beautiful newborn son in her arms. He had opened his eyes and looked at her. It had been the happiest moment of her life. Then he had been gone. He had stopped breathing. After that there was nothing but darkness.

Finn had been there, he had done everything he could to help her. Finally Niklaus had returned, but by then everything had been over. Mag had been rocking the lifeless body of their son in her arms, she had refused to let go. A part of her had died that day and she didn't think that she could ever be happy again.

Everything that had happened after that hadn't really meant anything to her. They had sailed across the sea, running from Mikael. How had everything turned out so wrong? Everything had been well after Niklaus had said that he only wanted to be with her and their child. Yet Mag had noticed the change in him. He had seemed restless and he had wanted to be close to her all the time. Touch her, kiss her, bed her…

She couldn't deny that it had been incredible, wild and passionate. For the first time she had really enjoyed it. He had wanted to kiss and lick every part of her, even her most private part. One time he had given her so much pleasure that she had passed out. Then everything had gone wrong. The full moon had drawn him to the woods. He had gone to search for the wolfmen. Unfortunately poor Henrik had followed him.

Esther and Mikael had been devastated. Mag could certainly understand their grief, but she couldn't understand how they had chosen to deal with it. By turning the rest of their children into monsters. Fortunately she had been pregnant; they hadn't wanted to risk killing the child. Her beautiful little boy. She had named him Soren. If the child would have been a girl, her name would have been Saga.

After Esther's spell, things had turned out very ugly when Mikael had found that that Niklaus wasn't his son. His real father was a wolfman. Mag had tried to be there for Niklaus, although she couldn't deny that the change in him had scared her. Not to mention his anger after Esther had used a spell to capture his wolf side. He had felt completely betrayed and she certainly couldn't blame him.

Yet she had hoped that they could still have some kind of life together after their child would be born. They have had to run before that had happened. She had given birth in an abandoned shack while her husband had been looking for someone to drain. She didn't know what she would have done if Finn wouldn't have been there. He had been an amazing friend and he could certainly understand her loss.

"Here, try this on," Rebekah said, handing her a dark green gown.

Mag didn't really care what she would wear, but she knew that she needed to focus if she didn't want to ruin the whole thing.

"Perfect," Rebekah said smiling and wrapped her arm around Mag's shoulders. "You just wait when Nik sees you."

They returned to the carriage where Lucien was teaching Elijah, Kol, Finn and Niklaus. They were all dressed like noblemen already.

"Well, well," Kol hummed smirking when he noticed them. "Someone looks gorgeous. And you look tolerable too, Bekah."

"Very funny," Rebekah snorted.

"You both look lovely," Finn stated and smiled at Mag.

Niklaus didn't say anything, he simply looked at Mag. He was probably tired of being rejected. Mag really couldn't blame him for that. She had tried, but just the thought of being touched made her sick. Not to mention some part of her blamed him for not being there. Not that he could have really done anything, but he should have been there when she had needed him the most. Instead he had been taking someone's life.

"Ladies," Lucien said. "We were just practicing a proper way to greet other nobles…"

"I can demonstrate," Kol said and walked over to Mag.

"My lady," he said and bowed before taking her hand and touching it with his lips.

"What do I do?" Mag asked, looking at Lucien.

He showed her how to curtsy. Rebekah was able to immediately mimic him, but Mag felt clumsy and she probably looked clumsy. This wasn't like anything she had ever done before. Yet she tried her best as they practiced different things. Lucien was a good teacher and he seemed like a nice man. Finally it was time to get into the carriage and head towards the castle.

"Can you believe this?" Rebekah cheered and took Mag's hand. "We are traveling in a carriage."

"Yes," Mag muttered. "Who would have ever thought?"

She couldn't deny that she envied Rebekah for her joyful spirit. After everything that had happened, Rebekah still had hopes and dreams. Mag wasn't sure if she has ever had those. All she had hoped had been a husband who wouldn't be cruel to her, a little home and… She couldn't finish that thought, it was too painful. She felt lost and she didn't know what to do.

She glanced at Niklaus who was talking to Elijah. It was only a matter of time before he would get tired of waiting. Waiting for her to get over the darkness that had swallowed her. She knew that she should try harder, but the truth was that she didn't have much strength left. She felt empty. Hollow. Hopeless. She had no idea how she was supposed to get over that.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Niklaus looked around curiously in the hall that was full of people. He had never seen anything like this. The castle itself was breathtaking and this feast… Count de Martel certainly knew how to make his guests feel welcome. The introduction had gone more than well, thanks to Elijah's quick thinking and Rebekah's generous cleavage.

Obviously Niklaus hadn't liked the way the Count had stared at his sister. Mag had also done as Lucien had suggested, but the Count hadn't looked at her the same way he had looked at Rebekah. It was true that Mag wasn't the kind of woman who immediately got attention from men, but Niklaus was only pleased by that. He didn't want other men to stare at her.

It was her gentle nature, her modesty, her calmness and her selflessness that made her truly beautiful. Perhaps she didn't shine brightly like the sun, but she illuminated like the moon. Or she had before losing their son. He sighed and absentmindedly touched the sleeve of his red and gold tunic. He had never worn anything like it, but he was a nobleman now and as far as he could tell, all the noblemen here were wearing this kind of tunics.

Elijah seemed to be right at home here, he was talking to the Count who apparently was more or less drunk already. Rebekah was surrounded by few young noblemen; she seemed to be enjoying all the attention. Kol on the other hand was getting many admiring looks from young noblewomen. There was no sign of Finn and Mag had said that she was too tired to participate. Niklaus sighed again; he had no idea what to do with his wife. He noticed Lucien who was silently standing next to the wall and walked over to him.

"You've proven to be an immense help," Niklaus stated, managing to startle Lucien.

"Of course, my lord," the servant replied. He looked very serious and tense.

There was something Niklaus was curious about, so he decided to bring it up.

"Though I must say you don't seem at all disturbed about leading us into your master's home."

Lucien pressed his lips together, he seemed even tenser.

"My master is a cruel drunkard who torments his minions for sport. Beggars who seek supper, vessels who cannot pay a debt. Like my own father."

"Ah," Niklaus hummed. He was pleased to hear that Lucien disliked the Count and wasn't in any way loyal to him.

"All these "gentle" folks behind their silks and their jewels, they are nothing but rotten and wicked. Whatever evil you are, you walk among greater evil still," Lucien muttered bitterly. "What do I care if you kill a lot of them?"

Again Niklaus was pleased. It seemed that they didn't have to worry about Lucien betraying them. And he didn't doubt that Lucien was right about these people.

"How is your wife, my lord?" Lucien asked after a moment of silence. "I noticed that she is not here."

"No, she is not," Niklaus murmured. "She was tired."

"Oh. Well, I hope she will get some rest."

"Hmm."

"She did seem tired earlier," Lucien added.

"Yes."

"Have you been married for long?"

Niklaus wasn't sure how to reply. They hadn't been married for very long, but somehow it felt like a lifetime. He had wondered had Mag hoped that she would have never been married off to him. Probably. He doubted that she had ever wanted this kind of life. Not that he had wanted this either.

"Not very long," he replied.

It was clear that Lucien wanted to ask something, but he didn't. Niklaus could guess what that something was.

"She is not like us."

"Oh…"

Absentmindedly Niklaus glanced at the entrance and noticed a man and a woman entering the hall arm in arm. The woman was young; she had red hair, a very beautiful face and a stunning body. All the men in the hall certainly noticed her.

"Who are they?" Niklaus muttered.

Lucien glanced at the entrance and seemed somewhat uncomfortable when he saw who Niklaus meant.

"Um, they're Count's children, the Lord Tristan and his sister the Lady Aurora."

"Hmm," Niklaus murmured. "She is quite lovely."

"Yes and as her brother is wicked. Might I suggest that you avoid them?"

"I am sure you are right," Niklaus replied. Yet he kept staring at the Count's daughter. She was exquisite, he couldn't deny that. One of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. He should look away. Why? He wasn't doing anything wrong. Surely he was allowed to look. Suddenly her eyes met his and she smiled at him. The sun… No, no, no, he needed to stop this right now.

Quickly he excused himself and walked out of the hall. He needed to go to his wife. He needed to bed her. She needed to let him do that. He had been more than patient, but he had needs. Surely she could understand that. She was his wife; he wanted to fulfill those needs with her. He wanted them to grief for their son together. What she was doing wasn't good for anyone and he wasn't going to tolerate it anymore.

It was time for him to finally act like a man and take his woman back. Determinedly he marched to her bedchamber that was next to his. For some reason they both had their own chamber. According to Lucien, that was normal among the nobles. The door to Mag's chamber was slightly open and Niklaus was just about to push it when he saw his wife and Finn.

His arms were around Mag and she had buried her face in his shoulder. Niklaus froze; he couldn't believe what he was seeing. His wife didn't let him touch her, but apparently she welcomed his brother's touch. Had she been unfaithful? It all made sense now. Why Finn was always following her around and "protecting" her. They had both been mocking him. Mag hadn't been grieving for their son; she just hadn't wanted Niklaus to touch her. Furiously Niklaus turned around and marched away. He needed something to drink.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Is there anything you need, my lady?"

It took a moment before Mag realized that the young woman was talking to her.

"No, thank you," she replied. "Forgive me; I do not know your name."

"Louise, my lady," the young woman said and curtsied. "I am your chambermaid."

"It is nice to meet you, my name is Mag."

Louise looked confused.

"Honor, my lady. Welcome to Marseille."

"Thank you."

Mag looked around in her bedchamber after Louise had left. She had never seen anything like this. Last night she had slept on the ground and now she was here. The whole plan had sounded very risky to her, but surprisingly they had succeeded. They were nobles now. Carefully Mag touched the bed and sighed as she noticed how soft it was. There was also a warm bath ready for her. Perfect.

She undressed and climbed into the bathtub. Warm water felt divine, she closed her eyes and allowed her body to relax. She had told Rebekah that she was too tired to join them to the Count's feast. All she wanted was to bathe and lie down. Rebekah had understood and she hoped that the others would too.

She couldn't help but to think about Niklaus. His chamber was next to hers, but she hadn't seen him after they had left the throne room. Rebekah had mentioned that Niklaus and Elijah had wanted to look around before the feast. Would he drop by after the feast? Why would he? Whenever he had tried to approach her, she had practically pushed him away. She had been a horrible wife to him. Had he really deserved to be treated like that? No, he hadn't.

Maybe she wasn't ready to share his bed yet, but she needed to show him that she appreciated his patience. Most men would have never waited this long. She would go to him after the feast and show him how much he meant to her. And she would also apologize for her behavior. He had been a good husband and he had tried his best to look after her.

Instinctively she touched her stomach. She would never forget her son, but she also needed to take care of her husband. That was what Soren would have wanted, she was sure of it. One of the reasons why she had avoided Niklaus' touch was her fear to be with child again and lose that child. She didn't know how she would ever be able to go through it again. It would kill her. She needed to talk to Niklaus about her fears; she believed that he would understand. Finally she got out of the bathtub and wore a nightgown. She probably had time to lie down before the feast would be over.

"Come in," she said as she heard a knock.

She expected to see Louise, but it was Finn who opened the door. He was carrying a plate.

"Hello," he said. "I hope I am not disturbing you."

"No, not at all. Please, come in."

He entered the room and handed her the plate. It was full of all kinds of treats; meat, vegetables, cheese, bread, fruits.

"I brought this from the feast," he said. "I thought that you might be hungry."

"Thank you," she said. "You were very thoughtful."

"It was nothing," he assured. "I was not sure if someone had already brought you something to eat, so…"

She placed the plate on the table and touched Finn's shoulder.

"Thank you."

"You are welcome." He paused for a moment before continuing. "How are you?"

"I just took a warm bath, so I cannot complain," she replied smiling.

He smiled too.

"I am glad to hear that. And I am very glad to see you smiling."

His words startled her and she immediately felt guilty. How could she smile when…

"Mag," Finn said calmingly and put his hands on her shoulders. "It's alright. You have every right to smile."

She bit her bottom lip.

"I…"

"I know," Finn stated quietly. "Believe me, I do. When Maud and our daughter died, I didn't think that I would ever be able to smile again. I didn't think that I deserved to smile."

"You do," Mag assured.

He nodded and cupped her face.

"So do you."

She let out a sob and buried her face in his shoulder. He wrapped his arms gently around her.

"Thank you," she murmured after a long silence.

"No, thank you," he replied. "I am glad if I have been able to help you, but I can assure you that you have helped me more. I haven't been able to talk about Maud and Finna to anyone else."

"Finna?"

"My daughter. Maud was sure that the child was a girl and she wanted to name her Finna."

"Oh. Niklaus suspected that our child would be a girl as well. I asked didn't he hope for a boy."

"What did he say?" Finn asked.

Mag smiled.

"He said that he didn't care if the child was a boy or a girl, he would love it just as much either way."

In that moment Mag understood how wrong she had treated her husband. She needed to fix things before it would be too late. After Finn had left, she brushed her hair and tried to make herself as presentable as she could before heading to Niklaus' bedchamber. He wasn't there. She waited and waited, but there was no sign of him.

Finally she decided to talk to him in the morning. Right now she was too tired to wait for any longer, so she went to bed and fell asleep. She was startled out of a deep sleep when someone slammed the door to her bedchamber shut. Quickly she got into a sitting position and saw Niklaus standing in front of the door. There was no expression on his face, he was staring at her.

"Niklaus, I am glad you are here, I would like to…"

"How long?" he snapped. "How long have you been making a fool out of me?"

He was drunk. She swallowed and stood up.

"What…"

"I am your husband!" he shouted. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand," she said as calmingly as she could.

"Then why do you reject me?"

"I… I don't…"

He marched over to the bed and glared at her.

"Am I not the one you want in your bed? Is that it?"

She tried her best to stay calm, clearly he was furious.

"You are. I am sorry…"

"Prove it," he demanded. "Give yourself to me."

She froze, knowing that she wouldn't be able to do that. Especially not like this.

"Niklaus, please…. I am very tired…"

"Liar!" he shouted. "We both know that you have no problem letting other men to touch you!" He paused and snorted. "It's my touch you don't want."

"That is not true…"

"Show me then," he snorted and crossed his arms. "Undress."

She shivered and clenched her fists.

"No."

"That's what I thought. Well, no need to worry, I won't bother you anymore. Spread your legs to whoever you want."

He turned around and stormed out. Mag hugged herself and sat on the edge of the bed. Her eyes were filling with tears. She had realized her mistake too late. She had lost her husband.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

4 weeks later

Mag walked in the garden, enjoying the sunlight. The day was beautiful and most of the court had gathered in the garden to enjoy it. As always, there was plenty of food, wine, ale and entertainment. A bard was singing and playing lute while few jesters were juggling and the servants made sure that no one was hungry or thirsty.

Mag had seen how the servants were treated here and she couldn't understand how that seemed to be perfectly normal to these people. Not to mention she wasn't comfortable letting someone else to do everything for her. She had gotten used to work, not being served like she wouldn't have two perfectly good hands. Also she couldn't understand how the nobles wasted food while many servants didn't get nearly enough to eat.

The truth was that she didn't enjoy the life of a noblewoman at all. The same thing couldn't be said about Rebekah. She was sitting under the sunshade with few other ladies; they seemed to be having fun. Finn was talking with some nobleman and Kol enjoyed the attention of couple of pretty noblewomen.

Elijah and Niklaus had joined few other noblemen who were competing to impress the ladies with their archery and axe throwing skills. Niklaus was just throwing the axe and once again he hit the target. A group of ladies, including the Count's daughter, clapped and complemented him. Niklaus bowed and smiled at the Lady Aurora.

Mag's heart was aching and she hoped that her husband would at least look at her. He didn't. She had tried her best to talk to him, but he didn't want to listen. He had been more than cold toward her, he had been downright cruel. He had said that she could "grief" as long as she wanted now. Without him. She hadn't fulfilled her duties as his wife; he had made that more than clear.

Maybe she hadn't been the best wife after losing her son, but she still didn't think that she had deserved that kind of hostility from her husband. Maybe she should have just let him use her body, even if she hadn't wanted it. Apparently his needs came first and she had failed as a wife when she hadn't fulfilled them.

She turned around and walked away, she really didn't want to watch Niklaus sweet-talk to other women. He had probably done more than sweet-talked to them already. As far as she knew, he hadn't spent much time in his bedchamber. Where he spent time then, she didn't know. Her heart felt heavy with pain as she walked faster until she was running. All she wanted was to get away. Away from Niklaus and everyone else. She headed to the stables and asked for a horse. The young stable boy brought her a beautiful chestnut mare.

"Thank you," she said and tried to smile at the boy.

"Just one horse, my lady?" the boy asked.

"Yes, thank you."

She knew that it was inappropriate for a noblewoman to go riding by herself, but right now she didn't care. It was a relief to ride away from the castle. Yet she stayed at the estate, of course she understood what could happen to a lonely woman. When she was far enough, she dismounted and petted her horse for a while before sitting on the ground. Some part of her wanted to cry, but she didn't shed a tear.

The truth was that she didn't have any idea what to do. She was tired. What would she do, if Niklaus would abandon her here? She didn't think that his siblings would abandon her, but did she really want to go with them if her husband didn't want her anymore? What choice did she have, there was nothing for her here.

Tears were coursing down her cheeks now, no matter how hard she tried to stop them. She lied down on the ground and allowed herself to cry. She hated herself for being so weak. Her mother had been through much worse. She had been captured and sold to a man who had mistreated and abused her. She had lost two children.

What right did Mag have to complain? Niklaus didn't hit her or force himself on her. She could take his coldness. She would keep her head high and deal with it. They were still a husband and a wife, even if he didn't want her anymore. Fine. He could do whatever he wanted with whoever he wanted; she wasn't going to care anymore.

"My lady?" a male voice suddenly said.

She startled and quickly dried her eyes before getting into a sitting position. Lord Tristan was just dismounting; Mag couldn't believe that she hadn't heard his horse approaching.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "Are you hurt?"

"No, no," she replied quickly and got to her feet. "I am fine, my lord."

She didn't dare to look at him, but she felt his eyes on her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "Where is your escort?"

"I… I wanted to take a ride," she murmured. "By myself."

"Surely you know that is not safe for a lady such as yourself?"

"Yes, I… I should go…"

He stepped in front of her, blocking her way to her horse.

"You seem upset, my lady," he stated.

"No, no, everything is fine. Thank you for your concern."

"Hmm. It's a shame to see tears in such lovely eyes."

"No, I… Everything is fine."

"Yes, so you keep saying. Tell me, does Lord Niklaus know that you are here?"

She looked up, confused by his question.

"No, I do not believe so, my lord."

"Is he the reason why you were crying?"

Mag swallowed, she didn't like where this was going.

"I should go back," she murmured.

"It's alright, I understand," Lord Tristan said. "He does not treat you well, does he?"

"He does."

"I doubt that. But I understand you feel you must be loyal to him. I am guessing that your marriage was arranged."

"Yes, it was."

She startled when he suddenly touched her hair.

"You can trust me," he hummed. "I can protect you."

"What? No, you are mistaken, my lord, I do not need protection."

"I believe you do." He paused and cupped her face. "You can talk to me, my lady; I wish to be your friend."

She didn't have time to pull away when she heard a male voice.

"Oh, my apologies, I didn't know anyone was here."

Quickly Mag took a step back and looked at the man who had suddenly appeared from somewhere. She recognized him as one of the noblemen she had seen couple of times. Lord Francis, if she remembered correctly. He smiled and bowed at her.

"My lady, you look lovely."

"Thank you," she murmured.

"My lord," he greeted Tristan.

"Lord Francis," he replied. "Excuse us for a moment."

"Of course, my lord."

"No need to worry," Lord Tristan assured after Lord Francis had left. "I will make sure he won't say anything about this."

Mag stared at him, she was confused.

"What?"

Lord Tristan raised an eyebrow.

"I assume you don't want your husband to hear any unpleasant rumors?"

Mag's eyes widened.

"What rumors? You and I were only talking…"

"Yes, but perhaps it would be best if he won't hear about that. Do you agree?"

Mag wasn't sure what to say. She hadn't done anything wrong, but even if she would have, would Niklaus care?

"I will make sure there won't be any rumors," Lord Tristan assured.

"Thank you, my lord," she murmured.

"No need to thank me, my lady. As I said, I wish to be your friend. You can count on me."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Mag paced back and forth in her bedchamber. She didn't know what to think. Her conversation with Lord Tristan made her nervous. What did he want from her? She closed her eyes and sighed. What she wanted was to speak with her husband. He hadn't been at dinner and she hadn't asked if his siblings knew where he was. Somehow it had felt too humiliating. Kol hadn't been at dinner either, he rarely was.

She remembered Kol mentioning that some noblemen spent time in a special room after dinner, if they wanted to have some "fun". He hadn't said what happened in that room, but Mag could guess. She had heard that the Count had several mistresses and he also enjoyed the services of courtesans as well as high class prostitutes. Was Niklaus in that room?

Mag clenched her fists and marched to the door. She was going to talk to her husband, whether he wanted to listen or not. Of course he wasn't in his bedchamber, so she headed to this "fun" room. What if he was there? With some other woman. Did Mag really want to see that? No, she didn't, but at least then she would be sure that there was no hope.

Her heart was pounding as she approached the room. Couple of guards walked past her in the hallway, but they didn't pay much attention to her. She heard the music, laughing and loud talking. The large wooden doors were open and a servant was just coming out with an empty tray. Mag swallowed and looked inside.

The room was full of drunken men and women who were entertaining them. Some women were dancing, others sitting on some man's lap. The men were groping and kissing the women who all had a very generous cleavage or then their breasts were bare. Mag's eyes widened, she had never seen anything like this. She felt nauseous; all she wanted was to get away from here. Thankfully she couldn't see Niklaus, but she caught a glimpse of Lord Francis who was just groping some young brunette. Mag was just about to leave when she heard a familiar voice.

"Hey! There's my favorite girl!"

Kol. He had two women on his lap; he pushed them off and stood up. It wasn't difficult to see how drunk he was.

"Mag!"

She didn't have time to react when he was in front of her.

"I caught you!" he chuckled as he lifted her up and tossed her over his shoulder.

"What are you doing, let me go," she demanded tensely, but he didn't seem to hear her.

"Excuse me, gentlemen, I will go now and enjoy my spoils of war!"

The other men in the room laughed and cheered him on. Mag was so embarrassed that her face was bright red, but thankfully no one could see that.

"Let me go!" she demanded when Kol carried her out of the room.

"I think not, my sweet lady," he chuckled. "I caught you fairly."

"This is not funny, Kol," she snapped and started to struggle.

"Oh, I love wildcats!"

He ignored her demands and carried her to his bedchamber. She was so angry that she slapped him when he finally placed her on the floor. His eyes widened.

"I was just kidding…"

"You had no right to do that, I told you to let me go! You think you can treat me however you want, just like everyone else does?"

He was stunned as he raised his hands in surrender.

"Hey…"

She bowed her head, ashamed by her behavior.

"I am so sorry," she muttered. "I…"

"It's alright; I'm the one who should apologize."

"No," she sighed. "I took my anger out on you, you didn't deserve that. I am so sorry that I slapped you."

He grinned.

"No need to worry about that, darling. I actually liked that."

She frowned and shoved him.

"Oh yes, just like that, darling! Punish me!"

"Stop it," she murmured, a flush was rising in her cheeks.

"You are so adorable," he chuckled and kissed her forehead. "My favorite girl."

"You are drunk," she huffed.

"That I am," he confirmed. "Drunk enough to do this."

She didn't have time to say anything when he suddenly drew her into his embrace and kissed her. For a moment she couldn't move, her mind was unable to understand what was happening. He smelled like blood and wine and his lips were desperately devouring hers as if his life would depend on it. Thankfully she managed to pull herself together enough to flat her palms against his chest and push him away. He didn't try to stop her when she took a step back.

"Kol, what are you doing?" she asked quietly.

He let out a joyless laughter and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I have no idea." He paused and slammed his fist against the wall. "I hate this. All of this. Do you have any idea how much I envy you for avoiding this…curse."

Mag could hear the pain and bitterness in his voice. She knew what he had lost. Silently she moved next to him and touched his shoulder.

"Come on," she said and guided him towards the bed. "Lie down."

Surprisingly he obeyed her without arguing. He grabbed her hand when she pulled a blanket over him.

"Nik is an idiot," he murmured. "You know that, right?"

She tried her best to smile as she squeezed his hand.

"Get some rest. I am sure things will look better in the morning."

She waited until he was asleep before she headed to her own bedchamber. Clearly she wasn't the only one who was miserable. Kol had seemed to enjoy this new life of theirs more than any of his siblings, but obviously it had been just an act. Deep down, he hated it just as much as Finn. Mag felt guilty now for not noticing anyone else's pain.

She wasn't the only one who had suffered. Kol had loved Henrik dearly, as well as he had loved his mother. Not to mention he had lost his magic. Mag realized now how terrible friend she had been. Yes, a terrible wife, a terrible friend, a terrible person. What she needed to do was stop feeling sorry for herself. Maybe she didn't have a child to nurture, but there were people who needed her. From now on she would focus on those people and…

She didn't have time to finish her thought when someone grabbed her from behind and a hand covered her mouth. Strong arms captured her and she was being dragged somewhere. Desperately she tried to struggle, but it was useless. She was trapped.


	15. Chapter 15

**Warning, violence**

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

"Shh, shh, easy," a male voice whispered in Mag's ear. "I wish you no harm, my pretty lady."

Mag struggled as hard as she could, she was in panic.

"No need to be afraid. You will enjoy this, I promise."

She recognized her capturer's voice now. Lord Francis. Why was he doing this? She heard the voices of at least two other men as she was being dragged inside some bedchamber.

"That was fast," one of the men chuckled. "Lord Kol is finished with her already?"

"So it seems," Lord Francis replied as he sniffed Mag's hair. She could smell the alcohol and struggled even harder. Her panic gave her more strength.

"Are you sure this is fine by Lord Niklaus?" one of the men asked.

"Yes," Lord Francis hummed. "He made it clear that he does not care what his wife does. And with whom."

The other men laughed.

"Poor man."

"Calm down," Lord Francis said to Mag. She was still struggling, she was becoming desperate. Lord Francis trapped her against the wall and pressed his body against hers. She looked into his drunken eyes as he licked his lips and smiled at her.

"It's alright," he said. "We are only requesting the pleasure of your company. Just like Lord Tristan and Lord Kol."

Mag flinched when he touched her cheek.

"You will enjoy this, my lady. And I believe you want this, I know women like you. There is no reason for you to act coy."

Mag screamed at the top of her lungs as soon as Lord Francis removed his hand. His eyes darkened when he covered her mouth again.

"Filthy little harlot," he hissed.

The other men laughed and helped him to gag her.

"Perhaps we should tie her up," one of the men said.

"No," Lord Francis replied and pressed Mag tighter against the wall. "Let's see how much fight she has in her, since she wishes to pretend to be a real lady." He paused and slid his hand under the hem of Mag's gown. Tears were coursing down her cheeks, she couldn't let this happen. She had to somehow stop this. Lord Francis was groping her breasts, the other men told him to undress her. No. She wasn't going to let this happen. She stopped fighting and looked Lord Francis in the eyes.

"Are you done acting?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Good."

He released her hands and started to kiss her neck. His touch made her sick to her stomach, but she forced herself to stay calm. Slowly she started to caress his arms and chest.

"This is more like it," he sighed.

The other men laughed, they were eagerly waiting for their turn. Mag's heart was pounding, but she was able to think clearly. She only had one chance; she needed to make sure that she wouldn't fail. Lord Francis let out a moan when she touched his member through his pants.

"Good girl," he groaned. "Don't stop."

The other men were far enough now. Mag grabbed Lord Francis' manhood and squeezed it as hard as she could. He screamed and fell on his knees. She kicked him on the face and ran towards the door. Thankfully the other men were so stunned that it took a moment before they tried to stop her. That moment was all she needed to get out.

She ran faster than ever before, her panic didn't allow her to slow down. She ran to Niklaus' door, but he wasn't in his chamber. All she could think about was that she needed to find him. She was still in panic, she didn't even notice that she had the gag in her mouth and tears were running down her cheeks.

"My lady?"

She jumped when someone touched her shoulder from behind; she was immediately ready to defend herself.

"Hey, it's alright, it's only I."

Lucien. Mag started to shake and pounced on him. He tensed and clumsily rubbed her back.

"Hey… It's alright, my lady."

Carefully he pulled away and removed the gag.

"What happened…?"

"Don't leave me," she sobbed. "Please."

"I won't," he assured. "What do you need? What can I do?"

She didn't know, her mind was blurry now. All she knew was that she didn't want to be alone.

"Niklaus…" she murmured. "Do…do you know where he is?"

"No, my lady, I am sorry. Shall I go and get someone else?"

She didn't know.

"Lord Finn perhaps?" Lucien suggested.

Mag nodded. Finn was her friend, he would help her. He wouldn't let anyone hurt her….

"What is going on here?" Elijah's voice suddenly asked.

Mag's arms were still around Lucien, she couldn't let go.

"She is not well, my lord," Lucien murmured. "Someone…"

Elijah walked over to them and looked at his sister-in-law.

"Mag?"

She was still shaking violently and she couldn't get a word out. Gently Elijah took a hold of her arm and pulled her away from Lucien.

"You can go," he said to Lucien and guided Mag towards her bedchamber. She didn't resist, the shock had taken all her energy. He made her to sit down and poured her some wine. She emptied the whole goblet.

"Who did this?" he asked calmly.

She shivered, she couldn't reply. He sat down beside her and took her hand.

"Mag, please, talk to me. Tell me what happened."

Her eyes were filling with fresh tears; he hesitated for a brief moment before wrapping his arm around her. She hadn't been as close with Elijah as she was with Rebekah, Finn and Kol, but right now she needed him to stay right here with her. He didn't rush her; he waited until she was ready to speak. His eyes narrowed as she told him what had happened.

"I should have never gone to that room…"

"Stop right there. What happened wasn't your fault. You are a sweet woman who has not done anything to deserve that."

Slowly she looked at him.

"I thought that you don't really like me," she murmured.

His eyes widened.

"Why would you think that?"

She shrugged.

"You usually avoid me."

He was quiet for a moment before replying.

"Yes, I do, but not because I would not like you. The problem is that I do not completely trust myself around you. The last thing I want is to hurt you."

"I am sure you wouldn't…"

"I have hurt many people," he cut in. "It's what I am now, whether I want to or not. But back to the point, those men. I will take care of them, you don't have to worry."

"They are noblemen, it would draw attention…"

"Leave that to me. You are family and no one hurts my family."

She bowed her head.

"I am not sure if Niklaus wants me to be a part of his family anymore."

"Niklaus has always been stubborn and foolish," Elijah sighed. "But I believe that whatever problems you two have, you can get past them. Would you like me to go and look for him?"

"No, thank you," she muttered. "I… I am sure I will see him in the morning."

The truth was that she wasn't sure if she wanted to tell Niklaus about this at all. What if he would say that it had been her own fault?

 _"He made it clear that he does not care what his wife does. And with whom."_

She didn't think that she could take his accusations, especially right now. If she would tell him what had happened, would he believe her? She wanted to think that he would, but she was afraid that it would only make things worse. Apparently she had already managed to ruin her reputation. She sighed tiredly, not wanting to be alone. Thankfully Elijah understood, he agreed to stay with her so she would be able to rest. She was exhausted, but she still couldn't sleep. All she could think about was how everything had gone so wrong. Would there ever be any happiness for her and Niklaus?


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"This is so unfair," Aurora sighed.

"What is?" Niklaus asked. He was holding her, enjoying feeling her naked body against his. She was perfect, like a goddess.

"All of this," she hummed, running her fingers over his chest. "How you are tied to that woman. That horrible, unfaithful woman who does not respect you at all. That is not right, she does not deserve you."

Niklaus didn't say anything; he really didn't want to talk about Mag and her betrayal. She meant nothing to him anymore and clearly he meant nothing to her, if he ever had. He had heard how she had acted ever since they had arrived here. He hadn't wanted to believe it, not before one of the noblemen had asked didn't his wife's behavior bothered him. Apparently she already had a certain reputation here. He still found it hard to believe. Maybe he wasn't the same man he had been when they had gotten married, but she most certainly wasn't the same woman either.

"You should be with me," Aurora continued. "I believe we re meant for each other. I love you, Niklaus."

"I love you too," he murmured. He wasn't completely sure if that was true. Obviously he was very attracted to her and he did care about her, but love…

She raised her head and touched his cheek.

"We could leave together. Just you and I."

"Aurora…"

"Please, listen to me, Niklaus. You do not owe that woman anything. You were forced to wed her, but you should not have to suffer the rest of your life because of that."

"What about your brother? And Lucien?"

Aurora bit her bottom lip.

"I like Lucien, but I do not love him. The way I feel when I am with you… I could never feel the same way with anyone else. You are the one, Niklaus. The one I have been waiting for my whole life. You make me whole."

She kissed him passionately, just like she always did. There was a fire in her she didn't let most people see. She was an amazing woman, any man would have been lucky to have her. Yet something was missing. No. She was a perfect woman, no man could have asked for anything more. She made him happy. And she had been right, he didn't owe Mag anything. Their marriage had been a mistake; neither of them had wanted it. The best thing for him to do was let her go. She could be with Finn or whoever she wanted to be with. Obviously that person wasn't Niklaus.

* * *

 _"You will enjoy this… You want this… I know women like you…. Filthy little harlot…"_

Mag's eyes flew open, she was gasping for air.

"Get off me!" she screamed in panic. "Get off me!"

"Hey, hey, Mag! It's alright, you are safe."

She was trembling, tears were filling her eyes.

"Elijah?"

"Yes, I am here. You are safe."

He sat on the edge of her bed and took her hand.

"You are safe," he assured.

She let out a sob and tried desperately to pull herself together. She was ashamed to let him see her like this.

"I am sorry…"

"No need to apologize." He paused and touched her hair. "Everything is alright."

"Thank you."

She dried her eyes and got into a sitting position.

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me," he murmured and touched her cheek. "If there is anything I can do to help you…"

She hesitated for a moment before leaning her head on his shoulder. She was feeling very vulnerable and all she wanted was to feel safe. He understood and he held her like she would have been a small child. She felt safe with him, knowing that he wouldn't hurt her. Finally she fell asleep again and this time she didn't have any dreams. He fell asleep as well, his arms wrapped around her. Neither of them woke up when the door opened and Niklaus entered the room. He stopped and stared at the sleeping pair for a while before he turned around and marched out.

* * *

2 days later

Mag hadn't left her bedchamber after what had happened with Lord Francis and the others, but now she felt that she needed some fresh air. It was day, so she didn't think that anyone would try to attack her, although she couldn't ask Elijah to escort her. He and Finn had gone hunting with the Count and his party.

Elijah and Lucien were the only ones who knew what had happened; Mag had asked them not to tell anyone. She didn't want anyone else to know, she was too ashamed. She had asked Elijah to inform their host that she was unwell, so she would stay in bed. Rebekah and Finn had come to visit her and make sure that she had everything she needed.

There had been no sign of Kol or Niklaus. Mag suspected that perhaps Kol was embarrassed by the way he had acted and she understood why he hadn't come to see her. Niklaus on the other hand… It seemed that he simply didn't care. She had thought that maybe she should tell him what had happened, but she doubted that he would want to hear it. She left her chamber, planning to go to the garden when a familiar voice stopped her.

"My lady!"

Reluctantly she stopped and turned to face Lord Tristan.

"My lord," she murmured and curtsied.

"How are you, my lady?" he asked politely.

"Fine, thank you."

"I am glad to hear that. I heard that you were unwell."

"Yes, I was, but I am fine now."

"Wonderful." He paused and moved closer to her. "I am sure your husband was very worried about you."

"I am sure he was," she replied tensely.

He gave her a sympathetic look.

"You deserve better, my lady. I think that you are afraid of your husband."

"No, no, I am not," she argued.

He moved even closer.

"I can protect you. I can be your friend and offer you a safe place to live."

"Why would you want to do that?" she asked as calmly as she could.

He smiled.

"Well… Perhaps I have a weakness for beautiful ladies in distress."

He was lying, she was sure of it. He wanted something from her. Another man who wanted to toy with her. Normally she would have been able to control herself, but right now she has had enough.

"If my lord wishes to offer me a safe place to live, perhaps you could be so kind and explain to some other "gentlemen" here that they have no right to touch unwilling women, such as myself. Excuse me."

She marched away before he had time to say anything. That had been nothing but a foolish thing to do and she was sure that she would regret it, but right now she didn't care.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Tristan was lost in his thoughts after his conversation with the Lady Mag. It seemed that she wasn't as easy to handle as he had thought. Strange. Tristan had seen with his own eyes how her husband treated her; he couldn't imagine why she would possibly want to be loyal to him. What Tristan had hoped to get from her was information.

There had been something suspicious about the de Guises even since they had arrived. Lady Mag for starters. Tristan didn't believe for a second that she was really a noblewoman. At first he had suspect that perhaps Count de Guise had wanted his son to wed her because she was a daughter of one of his business associates. An uneducated business associate that was.

Or then perhaps she had been a gift or spoils of war. Either way she hadn't been born as a noblewoman, Tristan was sure of that. Not to mention he wasn't sure at all if the de Guises were who they claimed to be. There had been rumors ever since they had arrived. Tristan was planning to find out the truth about them, with or without Lady Mag's help and he knew exactly where to start. He smiled when he realized that she had in fact helped him after all.

* * *

Mag took a deep breath as she felt the gentle breeze on her face. All she wanted was some fresh air. Just a moment of peace. Slowly she headed towards the garden, enjoying the scent of grass and flowers. There were beautiful flowers here; she would have wanted to get to know them better. Kneel and feel the dirt on her hands. No, that wouldn't be an appropriate behavior for a lady.

She wondered how long they would stay here and what would happen when they would leave. She looked around in the garden, but there was no sign of Niklaus. Then she saw Lord Francis, he was talking to some young noblewoman. His lips had curved into a polite smile. There was no sign of viciousness or lust. Nothing predatory.

 _"You will enjoy this… Good girl… Don't stop…"_

Mag felt so nauseous that she barely made it to the orchard before she threw up. Her legs were shaking so violently that she wrapped her arms around an apple tree.

"Are you with child?" a cold voice suddenly asked.

Slowly she looked up and saw her husband.

"What?" she managed to say.

His eyes narrowed.

"Are you with child? Who is the father? Or do you even know?"

His words stunned her so badly that she had to struggle to get any words out.

"No… Why would you… No."

He crossed his arms.

"I see. Are you sick then?"

"No." She swallowed and took a step towards him. "Niklaus, there is something I need to tell you…"

"No need, I already know," he cut in. "I saw you two nights ago."

Her eyes widened.

"What?"

"Yes, there is a word for a woman like you, but out of the respect for my son's memory, I won't use it."

"No, no, you do not understand. I didn't want any of it, I was attacked…"

He let out a cold laughter.

"You can't be serious. A harlot and a liar. I saw you and you most certainly didn't seem unwilling."

Mag flinched, like he would have slapped her. She had never believed that she would hear so cruel words from his lips.

"I didn't want it," she muttered, trying to swallow her tears.

"Stop lying already!" he snapped. "We both know that no one forced you into anything."

Mag didn't say anything, she had no words left. Niklaus had seen what had happened to her and he hadn't helped her. No, he thought that she had wanted it. Only a heartless person could think like that.

"You know what, I'm done," he snorted. "Our marriage has been nothing but agony from the start and I am done with it."

Mag stayed in the orchard for a long while after Niklaus had left. There were no tears left, she was completely numb. In that moment she felt that she didn't have any strength left to go on. Yet she did. She walked back to her bedchamber and told Louise that she wasn't feeling well. All she wanted was to lie down and sleep.

* * *

That night Niklaus was finally free from all of his guilt. He could really be with Aurora now. Why couldn't he when his wife had been unfaithful to him and was probably carrying Finn's, Elijah's or someone else's child. Not to mention she had actually claimed that Elijah would have forced himself on her. Niklaus didn't believe that, not for a second.

He couldn't even recognize her as the woman he had married. Or perhaps this was her true nature. Either way, she wasn't his problem anymore. He was hiding in the dim hallway, ready to sneak into Aurora's chamber. Suddenly a strong hand grabbed his shoulder.

"Niklaus," Finn's voice said before he had time to turn around. "May I have a word with you?"

"Not right now. I am busy."

"I see. Busy with what?"

"That is none of your business," Niklaus snapped, he was starting to feel annoyed.

"I believe it is."

Finally Niklaus turned around and glared at his older brother.

"Really? And why is that?"

There was no expression on Finn's face and Niklaus was completely unprepared for what happened next. Finn punched him so hard that he lost balance and fell on his back. Niklaus' fangs were immediately out and he growled as he jumped to his feet. Finn punched him again, this time even harder and threw him against the wall.

"You fool!" Finn hissed.

"What…?"

Another punch. Niklaus had never seen Finn so furious.

"Have you lost your mind?!" Niklaus growled.

"You are nothing but an ungrateful fool!" Finn snapped. "You have a beautiful, kindhearted wife and this is how you treat her?"

"You can't be serious. I know what she has done with you, Elijah and who knows how many other men!"

Finn stared at him disbelievingly.

"There has never been anything inappropriate between her and me. We have supported one another, that is all."

"I saw your arms around her the night we arrived here!"

Finn's eyes narrowed.

"You saw me hugging her? And that was all you needed to decide that there was something inappropriate between us?"

Niklaus hesitated for a very brief moment before he got his confidence back.

"Not just that. You were always near her, like she would have been your wife…"

"Yes, because she needed a friend! Someone who she could talk to."

"I see. And I wasn't enough?"

"Don't you dare try to make yourself the victim here," Finn snarled. "You weren't there when she gave birth; you didn't see what she went through! What she would have needed from you was patience and understanding. Putting her needs first. But of course you couldn't do that. I think that you saw what you wanted to see in order to justify your own betrayal. You most certainly don't deserve Mag!"

Niklaus stared at his brother for a moment before he managed to speak.

"You love her."

It was a statement, not a question. Finn's nostrils flared, he didn't deny it.

"You don't deserve her," Finn repeated icily.

"I saw her in bed with Elijah!" Niklaus snapped. "Was that innocent as well?"

"Yes, it was," Elijah's voice said. He had appeared next to Finn. "Few men attacked her that night and tried to rape her. As you can imagine, she was quite upset."

"What?" Finn snarled. "Who were these men?"

"I will handle them," Elijah replied, keeping his eyes on Niklaus who was too shocked to speak. This couldn't be true. His brothers were lying. No, they weren't. No… What had he done?


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

 _As Finn stood in front of a stone altar, watching a dark-haired girl walking towards him, he could only think about one thing. She was beautiful. Her wedding gown was modest, but it suited her perfectly and she had flowers in her hair. She wasn't smiling; he could tell that she was nervous. Of course she was, she barely knew him and she had been given away like an object._

 _He hadn't asked for her hand in marriage, their fathers had arranged it. Mikael had thought that Finn had mourned for Maud long enough already. Finn didn't think so, but he had accepted his father's arrangement with the girl's father. The girl was younger than him and he wasn't sure what he had to offer her. His grief and his gloominess. His broken heart. She would have deserved better._

 _Based on what he had heard, her life hadn't been easy after her father had remarried. When he looked at her pale skin, her delicate frame and the hidden fear in her eyes, he knew that everything he had heard was true. Poor thing. She was younger than Maud had been when they had gotten married. Not that he was comparing the two women._

 _With Maud everything had been different; Finn had known her ever since they had been children. She had been his dearest friend and the marriage had felt like the right choice. There hadn't been thunder and lightning, they had simply enjoyed each other's company and grown to love one another. Their marriage had been happy._

 _Finn glanced at his family, they were all here. Kol, Elijah and Niklaus were standing behind him, Henrik and Rebekah with Mikael and Esther. Elijah and Niklaus, as well as few other men, kept glancing at Tatia who was clearly enjoying all the attention. Sure she was a pretty girl, but Finn still couldn't understand his brothers. He focused on his bride as soon as she and her father Magnus stopped in front of the altar. Their arms were linked, but Finn could tell that there was no affection between them. Finn tried his best to make eye contact with his bride, but she kept her eyes down._

 _"Who gives this woman away?" the village elder asked._

 _"I do," Magnus replied._

 _"Do you willingly transfer your power of guardianship and protection over this woman to this man?"_

 _"I do."_

 _Finn held out his hand and said the proper words, thanking the girl's father for his gift. He tried to look respectful, but he couldn't really respect a man who mistreated his own daughter. Finn would have died for his children. As he took his bride's hand, he promised to take her under his protection. The village elder tied their wrists together and continued the ceremony._

 _Finn couldn't really concentrate; all he could think about was the woman beside him. She was nervous, perhaps even scared and he really wanted to somehow soothe her. He wanted to show her that she didn't have to be afraid of him. Sure he had his many faults, but he would have never mistreated his wife._

 _"You may now seal your union with a kiss," the village elder said._

 _Finn looked at his bride who finally raised her head. He smiled at her as calmingly as he could and tenderly touched her cheek with his lips. She looked at him in wonder, her lips curved into a cautious smile. Gently he touched her other cheek with his thumb and leaned forward._

 _"It's alright," he whispered in her ear. "You are safe with me, Mag, I swear…"_

"Finn?" Elijah's voice called.

"Hmm?" Finn murmured, startled out of his pathetic fantasies. He was nothing but glad that he managed to hide his thoughts and feelings so well.

"Did you hear what I said?" Elijah asked.

No, Finn hadn't heard a word his brother had just said. Confronting Niklaus had infuriated him so much that he couldn't really concentrate. Just the thought of anyone mistreating Mag… Finn did love her; he hadn't bothered to deny it. He wasn't completely sure when he had realized it for the first time.

Maybe it had been the moment when she had brought him berries. Or the moment when she had asked how he was and actually wanted to hear the answer. Or the moment when he had heard her laughing for the first time. Or the moment when he had danced with her at the Midsummer celebration. Or one of the many moments when she had been there for him when he struggled with his bloodlust. She was an incredible woman. If she would have been his, he would have treated her like a queen. The way Niklaus treated her made him nothing but furious. He didn't deserve her, he never had.

* * *

Niklaus knocked on Mag's door few times, but he didn't get any answer.

"Mag, please, let me in!" he pleaded. "Please, I… I made a horrible mistake, please let me talk to you."

There was still no answer. He couldn't believe how stupid he had been. The worst part was that Finn had been right, although Niklaus didn't want to admit it. He had wanted Aurora so desperately since the moment he had seen her that perhaps he had on some level been looking for an excuse. His wife had pushed him away for so long and he had never been very good at handling rejections. His self-esteem wasn't nearly good enough, thanks to Mikael.

He had been sure that she just didn't want him anymore. That she didn't care about him anymore. That he wasn't good enough. Well, he wasn't. How could he have been such a fool? The things he had said to Mag this morning… How could he ever apologize enough? She had been attacked and he had called her a liar and a harlot. He wanted nothing more than to bite his tongue off.

"Mag! Mag please, let me in!"

Still no answer. The door was bolted, but he couldn't take anymore, he needed so see his wife. He forced the door open and entered the dark chamber.

"Mag? Sweetheart? Are you here?"

She wasn't, he couldn't hear her heartbeat. Quickly he searched the whole chamber, but she wasn't there. How was that possible, the door had been bolted from inside? Where was she?


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"You don't deserve her," Finn's cold voice hissed.

"I saw her in bed with Elijah!" Niklaus snapped. "Was that innocent as well?"

"Yes, it was," Elijah's voice joined the conversation. "Few men attacked her that night and tried to rape her. As you can imagine, she was quite upset…"

Kol didn't want to believe what he was hearing. Mag had been attacked and almost raped. Had it happened on the night when he had…? Probably. It had been his fault. The first thing he felt was rage. He would rip those bastards to pieces. But first… He zoomed away from his brothers, not caring if anyone would see him.

"Mag?" he called tensely as he knocked on her door. "Please open the door."

It took a moment before he heard her sleepy voice.

"Kol? Is that you?"

"Yes, please let me in."

He heard her unbolting the door before it opened. She was standing in the doorway a candle in her hand, wearing a white nightgown. Her dark hair was a little messy and she blinked her eyes sleepily. His dead heart ached as he looked at her; all he could think about was that he wanted to keep her safe.

"What is wrong?" she asked.

Quickly he entered her chamber and bolted the door.

"Kol?"

"Please," he murmured. "I need you to trust me. Can you do that?"

She hesitated, looking concerned.

"What is going on?"

Determinedly he took the candle from her and placed it on the table.

"Please, Mag, trust me."

Cautiously she nodded.

"Alright. What do you need me to do?"

"Hold on," he replied as he lifted her up into his arms.

"What…?"

She didn't have time to finish her sentence when he had already opened the window.

"No, no, Kol…"

"Hold on."

She buried her face in his shoulder in order to muffle her scream and held on for dear life as he jumped. He landed on his feet and heard her gasping for air.

"It's alright," he whispered and zoomed away from the castle. Her arms were still tightly around him, he could feel how warm she was. Her heart was beating like a drum, the shock was about to hit her. Gently he kissed the top of her head and tried his best to calm her with soothing words. She felt warm and soft in his arms and he wanted to keep her right there. Finally her heartbeat started to slow down and she was breathing normally.

"Put me down," she murmured.

He obeyed and carefully placed her on the ground. She glared at him and crossed her arms.

"What was that?"

"I… I needed to talk to you."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Are you serious? Is there a reason why we couldn't talk in my chamber?"

"Yes," he replied firmly. "I needed to talk to you in private."

"Alright. What do you want to talk about?"

He hesitated for a brief moment before replying.

"I want you to tell me the names of the men who hurt you."

She tensed immediately.

"What?"

"I know what happened," he murmured. "And I also know that it was my fault."

Her eyes widened.

"What, no! It wasn't your fault."

"Yes, it was. I acted disrespectfully toward you."

"Kol, we are friends. I know that you meant no harm."

"Perhaps not, but I still caused you harm. That will never happen again, I give you my word."

"Kol," she said gently and took his hand. "It's alright."

He pressed his lips together and shook his head.

"No, Mag. I care about you."

"I care about you too…"

He silenced her by cupping her face.

"You are a wonderful woman, Mag. I've never met anyone like you and I've never respected any woman who's not related to me like I respect you."

She blinked her eyes few times before giving him a cautious smile.

"Thank you, you are very kind for saying that."

"I mean every word," he stated firmly. "And I am not drunk, if that's what you are thinking. I have drunk some wine, yes, but I am not drunk."

Her smile grew wider.

"Alright."

"Alright. Good." He paused and took her hands. "I… There is something I want to ask you. I want to make sure that nothing bad will ever happen to you again, so…" He paused again, trying to choose the right words. "We both know that Nik hasn't treated you well and I for one am not going to tolerate it anymore. I want to take care of you. Protect you. I want you to accept me as your protector."

"Kol…"

"You don't have to give me an answer right now, but know that I mean what I said." He paused and touched her cheek with this thump. "You are special, Mag. My favorite girl. If you say yes, you will have my affection and my loyalty. And I will not rush you; I will give you as much time as you need."

She was quiet for a long while, he could see the confusion in her eyes.

"I… I don't understand… Why… Why would you…"

"Why would I want you? Do you really have to ask that?"

"Yes."

He smiled and twirled her hair around his finger.

"You really are adorable. And warm. So very warm."

"Do you love me?" she asked quietly.

"Yes."

"Could you please say it?"

"I love you, Mag."

Slowly she looked up and touched his face. There was a strange look in her eyes, but he didn't have time to think about it for long when she suddenly kissed him. The kiss was brief and she pulled away before he could really kiss her back. Determinedly she cupped his face and looked into his eyes.

"Not here. Take me somewhere warm."

His eyes widened.

"Are you… Are you sure?"

"Yes. Just one thing."

"Anything."

"Could you please say it again?"

"I love you."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around him.

"Please love me then."


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

 _"Give yourself to me…. Undress…. Liar… Spread your legs to whoever you want… A harlot and a liar…. I'm done… Our marriage has been nothing but agony from the start and I am done with it…."_

 _"I love you."_

Those were the words Mag had never heard from her husband. She had never heard them from anyone. She had never been good enough for her husband; once again he had chosen someone else. He had ended their marriage with the cruelest words he could have said to her. Her heart had been so broken that she hadn't known how she would survive. She wasn't good enough, no one could love her. Then she had heard those words for the first time in her life.

 _"I love you."_

Someone loved her. Someone wanted her. Someone wanted to take her pain away. He unbolted the door behind them before carrying her to his bed. His lips were hungrily devouring hers while his hands caressed her body.

"Mag," he murmured. "You have no idea how long I have wanted this. Wanted you. All of you."

He wanted her. Her, not someone else.

She heard a ripping sound and suddenly realized that her nightgown was gone. That made her tense; instinctively she tried to cover herself. He stopped immediately and looked at her.

"I am sorry; I didn't mean to rush…"

"It's alright," she murmured. "I… It has been a long while since…"

"I understand," he assured and calmingly touched her cheek. "You are beautiful, surely you know that?"

She didn't say anything, she was feeling very self-conscious.

"You are beautiful," he repeated and kissed her. "Please don't hide yourself from me. I want to see all of you." He paused and calmingly stroked her hair. "You can trust me, Mag. Just _relax_."

She was looking into his eyes as he spoke and suddenly she did feel relaxed. It was a strange feeling, like she would have drunk too much wine. He was clearly surprised when she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"Woah…" he murmured. "That was…"

She muffled the rest of his sentence with another kiss and this time he kissed her back. She didn't want to think anymore, she only wanted to feel. She wanted to feel loved and cherished. She didn't want any more pain and suffering. Niklaus had made it clear that their marriage was over; she didn't owe him anything anymore. He could be with his lover or lovers now, she was done caring. She was done letting him hurt her.

Kol's hands started roaming her body as they continued kissing. He caressed her stomach, following the line of her hips and worked his way down to her knickers, taking hold at her hips and ripping the fabric off. She moaned as his mouth covered her nipple and started to suck and nip it. Her whole body felt incredibly sensitive, she grabbed his head to keep his mouth there.

She had never been so bold before, but now she just felt very….relaxed. He chuckled and continued obediently, switching from one nipple to the other. Suddenly she felt his fingers between the folds between her legs and cried out.

"So soft…" he murmured. "I love how much you want me."

A brief moment later, he spread her legs wider, tucked his hands underneath her bottom and lifted her up to his mouth while lowering himself down to the bed. She screamed and her back arched in response to his tongue. The pleasure he gave her brought tears to her eyes and for a brief moment she fought to regain control.

He didn't give her a chance, his mouth tortured her until she had no control left and her whole body throbbed against his mouth. Slowly he eased away from her, but his mouth only moved along her legs, kissing the inside of her thighs, shifting to her stomach as he worked his way up her body, nibbling here and there until he latched onto her breasts again. She could barely breathe, he didn't give her time to recover after her climax and her body was still throbbing with pleasure when he started all over again. And again.

"Kol, please," she pleaded weakly when he once again moved his head to her breast, tormenting her tender nipple with his teeth and his tongue.

"Let me worship your body a little more," he hummed. "You owe me that much after tormenting me for so long."

Her body froze, her eyes staring up at him.

"What? How have I tormented you?"

He grinned, moving his lips to her neck, his thumb and forefinger pinching both of her nipples at the same time.

"By not being mine," he hummed. "But that is something I intend to fix tonight. I will make you mine."

He continued "worshiping her body" until she begged him to stop, she felt that she couldn't take any more. He smiled and kissed her gently before he stripped off his clothes and lifted her leg, wrapping it around his waist as he slowly pressed into her. She gasped loudly when he started to fill her up.

"Are you alright?" he panted.

She nodded and turned her head, closing her eyes as she shifted her hips. He pressed into her again, this time deeper. Clearly he knew what he was doing, but his gentleness surprised her. Was this love? It must be. Slowly he shifted in and out of her, moving deeper each time. He wanted her. He loved her. The thought filled her heart with tenderness. He deserved everything she would be able to give to him.


	21. Chapter 21

**About the previous chapter, yes, Kol did accidently compel her to relax.**

* * *

 **Chapter 21**

Kol was lying on the bed with the biggest grin on his face. He had never in his life felt more content. His fingers were playing with Mag's hair; she was in a very deep sleep, her head resting on his chest. He had to admit that he had never imagined that she could be so…wild. So insatiable. All her shyness had disappeared so quickly, she had simply enjoyed herself and offered him all the pleasure he could have asked for.

 _"Straddle me, darling, let me watch you…"_

Seeing her breasts pouching up and down as she had rode him, had most certainly been one of the most erotic things he had ever seen. The way she had moaned and threw her head back had turned him on even more. She had let him do anything he had wanted; she hadn't held back at all. What kind of an idiot would ever choose someone else over her? Well, Nik's loss was Kol's gain. He most certainly was never going to let Mag go. She was his woman now and he was going to treat her like she deserved to be treated. Carefully he touched her warm cheek and kissed the top of her head.

"You are going to be happy with me, darling," he whispered. "I promise you."

* * *

Mag sat in the bathtub and stared in front of her. She didn't care that the water wasn't very warm. It was still very early and she hadn't wanted to bother Louise, but she had needed to bathe. She had been very sticky down there. And sore, even walking had been painful. Not that she blamed Kol for any of that, he hadn't purposely hurt her.

She was the one who had lost all control; she hadn't even noticed that he would have been rough. She had enjoyed everything he had done, even some things she had never tried before. All she had thought about was that he loved her and wanted to be with her. It had been like a salve for her broken heart and shattered self-esteem. Now she wasn't sure how to feel.

She had been very vulnerable last night and she feared that she had made a mistake. Had she taken advantage of Kol? He was her friend and family and she did love him, but not the same way he loved her. She had been nothing but selfish and despicable last night. Not to mention a coward, she had sneaked out before Kol had woken up. What was she supposed to do now? She didn't have time to think about that for long when the door to her chamber flew open and Niklaus marched in.

"Mag," he gasped when he saw him. "Thank goodness, I was so worried."

She stared at him for a brief moment before she managed to reply.

"Worried?"

"Yes, I have been looking everywhere for you, where have you been?"

"I hardly think that is any of your business," she replied coolly.

He stared at her disbelievingly.

"What? You are my wife…"

"That is not what you said yesterday."

He bowed his head.

"Mag, I… I am so sorry, I made a horrible mistake. I know now what happened and I can't tell you how sorry I am. I thought that you and Elijah… I am so sorry."

Mag was quiet for a long while and stared at her husband.

"Mag, I need you to listen to me…"

"No," she cut in calmly. "I don't need to do anything. You ended our marriage, Niklaus."

"No, it was a misunderstanding. I saw you with Finn and Elijah and I thought…"

"You thought that I value our marriage just as much as you do?"

"No, I…"

"No," she cut in icily. "When my father gave me to you, I tried to be a good wife, I really did, but I was never enough. There was always someone better."

"Mag…"

"I don't know if things would have been different if the gods would have let us keep our son," she continued, ignoring his attempt to cut in. "I suppose that is something we shall never know. I admit that I was not a good wife after losing Soren, but I hoped that you would have been able to understand the pain of losing a child. Unfortunately my pain lasted too long for you."

"No, no, please listen…"

"I don't blame you, Niklaus," she continued. "Not anymore. You have every right to find your happiness and clearly you can't be happy with me. As you so kindly put it, our marriage has been an agony from the start, so I set you free. Go and be with whoever you choose."

He pressed his lips together and walked over to the bathtub.

"No, Mag. You are my wife and I want to be with you."

She looked at him calmly.

"I don't want to be with you."

His eyes narrowed.

"I know that you are angry and you have every right to be, but you can't take back our vows. You are my wife and I swear to you, I will never let anyone hurt you again."

"I can take care of myself," she replied. "I don't need your protection, Niklaus." She paused and stood up. Niklaus' eyes widened when he saw the marks Kol's mouth had left on her skin.

"What…"

"You made it clear that our marriage is over," she stated coolly. "I accepted that."

Niklaus' eyes darkened dangerously.

"Who?" he hissed.

Mag crossed her arms.

"As I said, that is none of your business anymore."

He stared at her furiously.

"You are mine!" he shouted. "My wife!"

"No, I'm not, not anymore. You said…"

She didn't have time to finish her sentence when he suddenly grabbed her arms and yanked her out of the bathtub. The look in his eyes should have scared her, but she didn't look away.

"Go ahead," she said calmly. "Hit me. Call me a harlot. None of that will change anything. I am not yours anymore."

A growl left his throat and for a moment she was sure that she saw a glimpse of yellow in his eyes.

"We shall see about that, wife."


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Kol was on his way to Mag's bedchamber, hoping that she would be there. He had just woken up in an empty bed, disappointed for not finding Mag beside him. Her scent had still been there, reminding him of every little detail about last night. He had been looking forward to enjoy their first morning together. Why had she left? Did she regret last night? The thought made him tense; he didn't want to believe that. Surely there was some other explanation… He didn't have time to finish his thought when he heard it. Mag was screaming.

"No! Stop it! Please stop!"

Kol yanked the door to her bedchamber open and saw his brother and Mag. Niklaus had trapped her against the wall, she was screaming and struggling. She was naked; Kol could smell her blood and saw the bite marks on her neck. Kol growled and attacked his brother.

"Keep your hands off her!"

Niklaus growled as well and threw Kol across the room.

"Stay out of this!" he snarled. "This is between me and my wife!"

Kol's eyes darkened as he saw the bruises on Mag's thigh, it was clear what Niklaus had tried to do. Tears were coursing down her cheeks as she collapsed on the floor and curled her legs up against her chest.

"Bastard!" Kol snarled and attacked his brother again. Neither of them held back, Niklaus was like some kind of a wild beast.

"Stop it!" Elijah's voice shouted, but Kol barely noticed him. Strong arms grabbed him from behind and pulled him away from Niklaus; Elijah and Finn were struggling to tear them apart. Rebekah joined them; she was shouting something as she stepped between Kol and Niklaus.

"Are you two insane?" Elijah snapped. "Stop this at once!"

"Look what he did!" Kol snarled.

All his siblings finally noticed Mag who was sobbing quietly.

"Mag," Finn gasped and was about to let go of Niklaus.

"Don't," Elijah warned. "Not yet."

Niklaus was still growling like an animal.

"She's mine!" he snarled. "My woman! None of you will take her from me!"

Rebekah marched in front of him and slapped him.

"Look at her," she snapped. "Look at your wife."

Niklaus was even more furious until Rebekah slapped him again.

"Look at her, Nik! This isn't you!"

Niklaus blinked his eyes few times and stared at the sobbing woman who had wrapped her arms tightly around her. She had several bite marks on her neck; the scent of her blood was getting stronger and stronger.

"Mag…" Niklaus finally murmured. "I… I didn't mean…"

Finn let him go and quickly grabbed a blanket that was lying on the bed. Mag flinched as he carefully wrapped the blanket around her.

"Let go of me," Kol snapped and freed himself from Elijah's grip.

"Mag…"

Kol noticed Finn staring at the bite marks. His expression was painful and full of self-loathing.

"Damn it…" Rebekah murmured and turned her head away as her fangs were coming out. "I'm so sorry, Mag, I can't be here."

"Find out did someone see or hear anything," Elijah said before Rebekah walked out of the room.

"Alright," he continued. "Everyone calm down…"

"Calm down?" Kol snapped and glared at Niklaus. "He did this!"

Niklaus didn't say anything, he was staring at Mag.

"Get out of here!" Kol shouted.

"Kol, enough," Elijah said firmly and looked at Mag. "Finn? How bad are her wounds?"

Finn took a step back and turned his head away. It wasn't difficult to see how disgusted he was with himself.

"It's alright," Elijah said quietly. "Go."

"I can't leave her…"

"Go and get Lucien."

Finn bowed his head and left without saying a word.

"Mag?" Niklaus murmured and tried to approach her, but Kol blocked his way.

"Haven't you hurt her enough?"

Niklaus pressed his lips together.

"I didn't mean to…"

"You are not going to hurt her ever again," Kol hissed and walked over to Mag. She was still bleeding; he couldn't deny that the scent of her blood was mouthwatering. Fortunately he could control himself better than his siblings, thanks to all the practice.

"Darling?" he said gently as he knelt in front of her. "It's alright, you're safe now."

Slowly she looked up, but she didn't look at him. She looked at Niklaus.

"Mag…" he started pleadingly.

"Leave," she murmured.

He did and bumped into Lucien on his way out. The servant looked very confused.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, "Elijah replied. "I would like you to take care of Mag's wounds…"

"I can do that," Kol cut in. "We don't need him…"

"Kol," Mag said quietly. "Can you please give me a moment?"

Kol frowned.

"I can control myself; you don't have to worry…"

"Please."

"Come on, Kol," Elijah said firmly.

Reluctantly Kol stood up; he couldn't understand why Mag wanted him to leave.

"Shall I go too, my lady?" Lucien asked.

Mag shook her head. Kol crossed his arms and glared at Lucien. Why would Mag want his help over Kol's?

"I would be very careful if I were you."

Lucien swallowed.

"Yes, my lord."

Kol turned to look at Mag and smiled.

"Let me know if you need anything, darling, I won't be far."

"Thank you," she replied. Her voice sounded hollow, it made Kol want to hurt Nik much more. He had actually bit Mag and tried to force himself on her. Kol had to admit that he had never thought Nik could do something like that. Did he know that Mag had been with Kol last night? Not that it mattered; nothing justified what he had done, especially after how he had treated Mag ever since they had gotten married. She deserved so much better. Kol was going to make sure that Nik would never touch her again.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

"I'm sorry, my lady," Lucien said quietly as Mag flinched. "I'm trying my best to be careful."

"I know," Mag murmured, struggling to sound calm. "Thank you."

Lucien was cleaning her wounds, but it wasn't the pain that had made Mag flinch. No, it had been his touch. The rational part of her knew that she didn't have to be afraid of him, but her mind refused to understand that. Right now she was a mess and she hated letting anyone see her like this. Yet she had wanted Lucien to clean her wounds instead of Kol.

One reason for that was that Lucien was an outsider, but there was also another reason. She was ashamed to admit it, but right now she didn't want to be close to anyone who would want to drink her blood. Niklaus' brutal attack had shaken her to her core; she still couldn't believe that it had actually happened. He had bit her. Bit her. She could still feel his fangs sinking into her skin. How could he have done that?

She had been prepared for possible violence, maybe a hit or something, but not that. He had taken her blood by force and he would have also taken her body if Kol wouldn't have stopped him. Mag didn't want to believe that, she was still hoping that this was a bad dream. Niklaus had his faults, but she would have never believed that he could do something like that.

Some part of her kept telling her that perhaps she had deserved it. She had craved for love and attention so pathetically that she had taken advantage of Kol. She had been a bad friend and wife and… Suddenly she burst into tears. This was all too much, she couldn't take any more.

"My lady?" Lucien gasped. "I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you…"

"You didn't," she sobbed. "You didn't. I…"

She didn't have any more words left, only tears. Cautiously Lucien wrapped his arms around her and carefully stroked her back as she cried. Neither of them said a word, he let her cry until she had no tears left. After that he finished cleaning her wounds.

"Thank you," she murmured hoarsely.

"You're welcome, my lady. I hope things will get better."

Mag doubted that. Her only solace was that at least things couldn't get much worse.

* * *

Niklaus slammed his fists against the wall, wanting to tear the whole castle apart. What had he done? He still couldn't understand what had happened. How had he lost all control like that? That wasn't who he was, he would have never… Yet he had. All he remembered feeling was the extreme jealousy. Possessiveness.

He had wanted to erase the touch of some other man and replace it with his own. Claim his wife back. Show her who she belonged to. Everything had gone horribly wrong. He couldn't remember everything, but he knew how badly he had hurt Mag. He had almost… How could he ever fix that? He had to fix that. First he needed to end things with Aurora and dedicate all his time to his wife. She would eventually forgive him. She had to.

* * *

2 weeks later

"Come on!" Elijah shouted. "We must go!"

"No!" Kol, Niklaus and Finn protested almost simultaneously. "I'm not leaving without Mag!"

Elijah bit his bottom lip.

"We don't have a choice, father is coming. We have to go."

"No…"

"Mag knew that we are leaving tonight," Rebekah cut in. "She wasn't in her chamber or anywhere to be found, so I don't think that she wants to come with us."

Kol glared at her furiously.

"She does! Something must have happened to her, I'm staying here to look for her…"

"She doesn't want you!" Niklaus snapped. "When are you going to realize that?"

"Hey!" Elijah shouted and stepped between his brothers before Kol managed to attack Niklaus. "We don't have time for this, we have to go!"

"Not without Mag!" Kol snapped.

"Perhaps Rebekah is right," Finn stated quietly. "Perhaps she doesn't want to come with us and who could blame her for that?" Finn paused and gave Niklaus a cold glare. "She has suffered more than enough."

Niklaus didn't reply; he was too furious. Things couldn't end like this. Two weeks ago he had gone to see Aurora, planning to end things with her, but she had kissed him before he had managed to do that. Unfortunately Lucien had seen that kiss. After that everything had gone horribly wrong. Lucien had been captured and tortured by Tristan and killed by Tristan's guards.

Now Lucien was like Niklaus and his siblings. Blood was the secret, it made people like them. It could have made Mag like them. That would have been perfect. Unfortunately she didn't want to be like them, she had shouted at Niklaus when he had told her about the opportunity. She hadn't forgiven him and she had said that their marriage was over. Kol had seemed to think that she belonged to him now, but apparently he had been wrong. Niklaus was starting to believe that Rebekah had been right; Mag didn't want to come with them.

"I'm not leaving her…" Kol started.

"Listen to me," Elijah said firmly. "We have to go, but we can send someone to fetch her when we are far enough. Perhaps she has changed her mind by then."

That was exactly what Niklaus was planning to do. Mag was his wife and he wasn't going to give up. She would come with him, whether she would want to or not.

* * *

 _2 hours earlier_

 _Mag stood in the orchard, looking at the sunset. Elijah had told her that they would leave Marseille tonight after dark. Apparently Mikael was coming. Mag wasn't really surprised after Lucien and Niklaus' rampage. It broke her heart. Lucien had been one of the kindest men Mag had ever met and now he acted like a monster. Esther's spell was nothing but a curse._

 _Kol thought so too and he had understood when Mag had told him that she never wanted to become a monster. He had sworn to her that he would be the man she deserved if she would agree to be his. He wouldn't be a monster ever again. She had thought about it a lot and made her decision. She would say yes. Perhaps she didn't feel the same way he did, but she believed that she eventually would._

 _She believed that she could be happy with him and hopefully make him happy. And Niklaus… She didn't see any kind of future with him. Too much bad things have happened between them. Now she had finally made her decision and she felt much better. She sighed and headed back to the castle, planning to find Kol. Three riders were approaching her fast, but she didn't pay much attention to them before she recognized them. Lucien, Aurora and Tristan. That was very strange, why would the three of them be riding here in this hour? They stopped their horses beside her and Lucien dismounted._

 _"Thank goodness," he gasped and wrapped his arms around Mag. "I found you, my love."_

 _My love? What was he talking about? Mag pulled away and looked at him._

 _"What is going on?" she asked._

 _"We must leave right away," Lucien replied. "We must flee from father."_

 _"What?"_

 _"Come on, Nik," Aurora said. "We have to go."_

 _"Come, my love," Lucien said and took Mag's hand._

 _"No," she snapped and tried to free her hand. "What are you doing?"_

 _"I told you, we have to go…"_

 _"I'm not going anywhere with you."_

 _His eyes widened._

 _"I'm your husband…"_

 _"No, you're not. I don't know what is going on here, but this isn't funny."_

 _Lucien stared at her for a brief moment before glancing at Tristan and Aurora._

 _"I think she has somehow lost her memories."_

 _"Just grab her," Tristan stated. "We don't have time to take care of this here."_

 _"Elijah is right," Aurora added._

 _Mag stared at all three of them disbelievingly, what was going on here?_

 _"Lucien…" she started, but the rest of her sentence turned into s scream as he suddenly grabbed her and lifted her over his shoulder._

 _"Let me go!" she shouted. "Have you lost your mind?!"_

 _"It's alright, sweetheart," he hummed. "You're safe."_

 _Mag struggled as hard as she could, but he still managed to lift her on his horse and mount behind her._

 _"Alright, let's go."_


	24. Chapter 24

**About the previous chapter, Elijah didn't mean Lucien and the others to take Mag with them; it was an unfortunate side effect of his compulsion.**

* * *

 **Chapter 24**

 _1 week earlier_

 _Lucien dropped the body of a nobleman on the floor and sighed blissfully. He didn't think that his life could get any better than this. He was strong, fast, invincible. A god. Niklaus dropped his dinner on the floor as well and poured himself some wine._

 _"Why so gloomy?" Lucien asked._

 _"I don't want to talk about it," Niklaus murmured._

 _"Come on, Nik, we're brothers now! You can tell me."_

 _Niklaus emptied his goblet and sighed._

 _"Mag still refuses to talk to me."_

 _"Oh."_

 _Despite of his decision to leave his past behind, Lucien still felt anger. Apparently Aurora hadn't meant much to Niklaus._

 _"I'm sorry," Niklaus said, like he would have known what Lucien was thinking. "I know that I ruined many things with my selfishness. You're my friend and Mag is my wife and… I want her back. I need her."_

 _"I'm sure she'll forgive you eventually," Lucien replied._

 _Niklaus sighed again and shook his head._

 _"I don't know if she will. I was nothing but a fool for treating her like I did. She is an incredible woman and she would make any man happy. Unfortunately I was too blind to see that."_

 _"Hmm. You must really love her."_

 _"I do. She's the one for me and I'm going to do whatever I have to do to have her back. And when I do… I'll never let her go."_

* * *

Niklaus was kissing his struggling wife, hoping to help her to remember him. Remember how much he loved her. She was trying to push him away, but he wrapped his arm around her waist in order to keep her body against his. She tasted even better than he had remembered; her lips were warm and soft.

Her fierce struggling was turning him on, he couldn't deny that. Right now his mouth was muffling her angry protests, but he could feel how she tried to bite him. Such a little wildcat she was. He forced her mouth open and slid his tongue in, wanting to have a full taste of her. She bit his tongue so hard that he tasted the blood in his mouth. That made him laugh as he broke the kiss.

"My love, can you remember me now…"

She slapped him with a flat palm so hard that his head turned sideways.

"Stay away from me!" she snarled and backed away. Unfortunately she was backing herself into a corner; she wouldn't be able to get to the door. Niklaus and his siblings had found a tavern where they could spent the day, feed, bathe and rest. The sun had risen, so they couldn't go outside. Not that Niklaus really wanted to go anywhere right now; he only wanted to spend time alone with his sweet wife. He loved her and needed her. Surely there had to be a way to help her remember him.

"Mag, sweetheart, I'm your husband…"

"No, you're not! Your name isn't Niklaus, it's Lucien!"

He sighed, reminding himself to be patient with her.

"No, sweetheart, my name is Niklaus. I'm your husband and the people who traveled with us are my siblings, Elijah and Rebekah."

"No, they are Tristan and Aurora de Martel; they're not your siblings."

"Yes, they are. They are your family, just like me."

Mag glared at him and crossed her arms.

"Alright, fine. If we are married, tell me about our wedding."

Niklaus smiled.

"You were a beautiful bride."

"What was I wearing?"

He grinned.

"Something beautiful, I'm sure. But I only wanted to see you naked."

"You have never seen me naked," she snapped. "We're not married!"

His grin grew even wider.

"I have never seen you naked? Of course I have."

"No, you haven't, we're not…" She paused and took a deep breath. "Alright… Alright, maybe this has something to do with Niklaus' blood. Maybe that's why you think you are him."

"Sweetheart," he chuckled. "I _am_ him." He paused and zoomed in front of her. "Let me show you."

She cried out when he lifted her up into his arms and carried her to the bed.

"Let me go! Lucien, stop this!"

"I don't know any Lucien, my love," he hummed as he laid her down on her back and started to kiss her neck.

"Stop it!"

"I'm only trying to help you to remember. I'm your husband and this is what husbands and wives do."

She tried to scratch him, but he trapped her hands effortlessly above her head.

"I love you and you love me," he hummed. "You are mine, only mine. I'll never let you go."

She struggled furiously for a while, as useless as that was. Suddenly she stopped.

"Niklaus?" she said.

He raised his head and looked at her.

"You remember me?"

She smiled and nodded.

"Yes, my husband, I remember everything."

He smiled too and caressed her cheek.

"My sweet Mag… What happened to you?"

"I…I'm not sure. I think that I hit my head."

"Are you alright?" he asked, quickly examining her head.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just very tired."

"My poor darling," he hummed and gently kissed her. "Don't worry; I will take care of you."

"Thank you, my love," she murmured, she was still smiling. "I would like to get some rest."

He couldn't deny that he was disappointed; he would have wanted to have her. Everything about her was arousing; she was the only woman he wanted.

"Of course," he said and touched her lips with his thumb. "We can sleep if you want, but can I at least have a kiss first?"

"Sure," she replied after a brief silence. Niklaus heard her heart beating wildly; he thought that she was excited.

He smiled as he watched her lying there. Her eyes were big and deep as ponds, her skin warm and soft, her lips full and inviting as if they would have been made to be kissed. He leaned forward until he felt her breath against his cheek and stroked her jaw, tracing that elegant jut of delicately sculpted cheekbone beneath her smooth skin. Her eyes shut as he tasted her lips, exploring her face with his fingertips, stroking her jaw and her pale throat. She dragged in a sharp breath as he slid his hand down her side, settling on the curve of her hip. He pulled her even closer, kissed her jaw and then her throat.

"Don't," she murmured tensely. "Not there."

He raised his head.

"Sweetheart, surely you know that I would never hurt you?"

She nodded.

"Yes, I know, but I'm very tired. I would like to go to sleep."

"Of course, forgive me."

He lied down beside her and pulled a blanket over them both before wrapping his arms around her.

"Rest, sweetheart," he hummed and kissed the top of her head. "I love you."

"I love you too," she murmured.

He sighed and leaned his cheek on her head. His wife was here in his arms and everything was like it was supposed to be. He was a very happy man.


	25. Chapter 25

**Warning, mature content**

* * *

 **Chapter 25**

Portugal, 1114

"Where are you…? Here kitty, kitty, kitty…"

Niklaus smiled as he made his way across the hallway, towards the bedchamber. He loved the trill of the chase, especially with his favorite prey. He never got tired of chasing her.

"I know you're here, little kitty. You can't hide from me. Just give up and come to daddy. If you do that right now, I might go easy on you."

Of course that was a lie; he had no intention to go easy on her. She would be screaming before he would be done with her.

"Come on now… Be a good little kitty…"

She was near; he could feel it, although she had become much better at this. Sometimes it took him a long while before he managed to catch her. Thankfully they had the whole villa for themselves the whole night. Suddenly a knife flew towards him, but it missed him.

"Naughty little kitty," he chuckled. "I'm going to make you pay for that."

Unfortunately there was no sign of her. He inspected the bedchambers before moving on to the parlor and the kitchen. Nothing. Such a clever girl she was. Finally he heard a tiny little noise. It was coming from the broom closet. He smirked while moving silently in front of the door and yanked it open. She gasped and tried to escape, but he was faster, he grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder.

"How dare you?" she screamed. "Let go of me, you beast!"

"No, I don't think so," he hummed and slapped her bottom. "You've been a naughty little kitty, so I need to punish you." He paused and slapped her bottom again. "How does a little spanking for starters sound like?"

"You… You wouldn't dare! I'm a lady and you are nothing but a filthy bandit!"

He chuckled and carried her to one of the bedchambers, giving her firm little butt few smacks on the way.

"That's right," he hummed and threw her on the bed. "And you love filthy bandits, don't you…" He paused and tore away her gown. "…my lady?"

She bit her bottom lip as he trapped her under him and lifted the hem of her undergarment.

"You beast…" she snapped, but the rest of her sentence turned into a moan as he started to pleasure her with his fingers. She opened her legs wider as he played with her, making her moist.

"Niklaus," she moaned.

"There's no Niklaus here, sweetheart," he hummed. "Only a vile beast who wants to take your innocence."

"Oh yes," she moaned. "You're a vile, vile beast… How dare you try to take my… Oh God…innocence…"

He suppressed a smile, she was really adorable. A terrible actress, but adorable. He loved her more than he had ever loved anyone, she was his world. He didn't know what he would have done without her.

"Does the lady like this?" he asked as he thrust a finger inside of her.

"Oh…No," she moaned. "You…You…monster, how dare you…Ah!"

He smirked while adding a second finger and starting to pump them in and out of her, using a vampire speed. She moaned desperately, it didn't take long before she came.

"Good girl," he hummed and licked his finger, wanting to taste her juices. He would have wanted to dip his head between her legs and have a better taste, but right now he was too impatient for that. He wanted to get inside of her, he was painfully aroused. Quickly he got into a sitting position and lowered his pants before lifting her up and pulling her down onto his hard shaft. She gasped and held on as he thrust up into her over and over again. He knew that this position was one of her favorites; it allowed her to move more freely.

"Niklaus," she moaned and kissed him. The kiss was fierce; he slid his tongue into her mouth while pounding into her. She felt perfect; he didn't think that he could ever have enough. With a groan he spilled his seed inside of her. She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. He was still inside of her as he wrapped his arms around her and rocked her like a child. It helped her to enjoy her aftershocks.

"I love you, Mag," he murmured and planted few kisses on her neck.

"I love you too," she replied.

Gently he pulled out and cleaned her thighs with a wet cloth. He knew that she was more comfortable like that; she didn't like to go to sleep when she was sticky. Not that he minded washing her; it made her purr like a satisfied cat. Her happiness made him happy as well. When he was finally finished, he lied down beside her and wrapped his arms around her.

Everything was perfect and he was just about to fall asleep when something happened. His eyes flew open and he gasped in shock as the memories suddenly filled his mind. His real memories. He wasn't Niklaus. His name was Lucien. Lucien. Lucien. His name was Lucien. He wasn't Niklaus…

"Niklaus? What's wrong?"

No… Dear lord no… The woman beside him wasn't his wife, she never had been. She had tried to tell him that, but he hadn't listened. Oh God…

"Niklaus? Please, say something."

She was stroking his hair, looking at him with those doe eyes of hers. She was worried about him.

"Please, tell me what's wrong."

He couldn't. He was too shocked to speak. This couldn't be happening.

"Niklaus…"

Suddenly the door flew open. Aurora was standing in the doorway, her eyes flaming in rage.

"Where is that little tramp?" she snarled.

Lucien got to his feet immediately.

"Aurora, calm down," he said. "None of this is her fault…"

"I don't care!" Aurora screamed. "I will make her pay for all of them!"

Mag had gotten up as well, she looked nothing but confused.

"Rebekah…"

Aurora tried to attack Mag, but Lucien stopped her.

"You will not touch her!" he shouted.

"What is the matter with you; she's not your wife!"

Lucien pressed his lips together.

"You will not touch her."

Aurora's eyes narrowed, but she didn't have time to say anything when Tristan entered the room.

"Sister?"

Aurora turned around and ran to him. Tristan held her as she burst into tears. Lucien was unable to move until Mag took his hand.

"Niklaus?" she said quietly. "What… What is going on?"

Suddenly Aurora broke into a snigger.

"You have fucked her for over a century," she giggled. "I wonder what Niklaus will say about that."

Lucien didn't say anything, but he forced himself to look at Mag. There was nothing but confusion in her eyes. What could he possibly say to her? That he had forced her to think that he was her husband? That was the ugly truth. After she had once again tried to escape from him, he had thought that he had found a way to make her remember him. The witch who had made daylight rings for him, Tristan and Aurora had said that she could help. She could make Mag remember her husband. God… What had he done?


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

New York, present day

"Ladies and gentlemen welcome to our 15th annual charity auction," the perky woman auctioneer started. "As you all know, this year all the profits will go to the new children's hospital."

Everyone clapped. The whole room was full of men wearing suits or tuxedos and women wearing expensive evening gowns. Mag couldn't believe that she was actually one of those women. How had she let herself been talked into this? Well, this was for a good cause. The children's hospital still needed a lot of funds.

"As always, we have many handsome bachelors and lovely bachelorettes here with us tonight and you all have a unique chance to bid yourself a dinner with them. Shall we get started?"

People clapped again and some of them let out cheers.

"Alright, ladies first, so here's our first bachelorette. She is a model who has just launched her very own lingerie line. The beautiful, talented, wonderful Chantelle Swann!"

The young woman who stepped onto the stage got a big round of applause. She was no doubt very beautiful with her silky blonde hair, flawless skin and large breasts.

"Shall we start the bidding with 500…"

"500!" one of the men cheered before the auctioneer had finished her sentence.

"600!"

"700!"

"1000!"

"1500!"

Mag sighed and took a sip out of her glass. This could take a while. Once again she reminded herself why she was doing this.

"9000 going once, going twice, sold!"

Everyone clapped and Miss Swann was smiling, she seemed satisfied.

"Our next bachelorette is a blogger and a singer, lovely, amazing, gorgeous Ashley Wild!"

Mag sighed again; she was really starting to regret this. Having dinner with some stranger was the last thing she wanted right now. Not to mention she doubted if anyone here would even want to have dinner with her. Clearly she wasn't like these other "lovely bachelorettes". Thankfully.

"7000 going once, going twice, sold!"

Oh great, she was next.

"And now our next bachelorette. She is an obstetrician and a surgeon who have worked the last few years for Doctors Without Borders, please welcome Dr. Maggie Soren!"

Alright, this was it. Mag tried her best to smile as she walked over to the stage. Right now she really hoped that she wouldn't have agreed to this. Honestly, what had she been thinking? The children. This was all for sick children. That was all she had cared about for the last few centuries. She had lost her son, but she had been able to save countless other children.

All she had wanted was to do something useful. Something that would help her to forget…everything. All the pain, anger, bitterness. She had decided that she would never again let anyone hurt her and she had succeeded. Her heart had turned into ice and that was the way she wanted to keep it. She would never again be weak. She would never again be used. Elijah, Niklaus, they could all go to hell as far as she cared.

They had broken her, made her the person she was today. Niklaus had treated her like scum and because of Elijah's compulsion, her free will had been taken from her. For over a century she had been a mindless puppet. She had let a man who she had barely known use her however he had wanted and her mind had assured her that she loved it. That she loved him.

The word "violated" didn't even begin to describe how she had felt when she had remembered everything. At least Lucien had undone the spell that had taken her free will. She was aware that he could have just let her think that he was her beloved husband and somehow use her to get back at the Mikaelsons. He hadn't done that. For that he earned her gratitude. Unlike the Mikaelsons.

Kol had claimed that he loved her, Finn and Rebekah she had considered her friends and yet they had simply abandoned her. She didn't know if they had bothered to even look for her and she really didn't care. She never wanted to see any of them again. It had taken her a very long time to recover enough in order to build some kind of life for herself and no one would ever take that from her.

"Alright, gentlemen," the auctioneer said smiling. "A dinner with the lovely Dr. Soren, shall we start with 500?"

"500," a dark-haired man in an expensive suit stated and gave Mag a polite smile.

He seemed tolerable enough and hopefully…

"600," a cocky looking blonde man raised. His arrogant smirk made Mag immediately dislike him.

"700," the dark-haired man thankfully raised.

"1000," the blonde stated arrogantly and winked at Mag.

Oh great, apparently she would have a dinner with him.

"1100," the dark-haired man raised, earning a silent thank you from Mag.

The blonde grinned.

"2000."

Mag glanced at the dark-haired man, but apparently he had reached his limit. Great.

"2000, going once, going twice…"

"10000," a familiar voice announced.

Mag froze. No… It couldn't be him. Slowly she looked up and saw him standing the opposite side of the room. Many other people were looking at him as well and some women clearly liked what they were seeing. Mag however wasn't one of those women. She pressed her lips together and clenched her fists.

"Yes…" the auctioneer said after getting over her surprise. "10000 going once, going twice, sold to the very generous gentleman!"

Everyone except Mag clapped. She was frozen like a statue, but somehow she managed to force her legs to move. He walked over to her with a smile on his face.

"Mag," he gasped. "It has been a while. You look…ravishing."

She looked at him icily, who the hell did he think he was?

"Niklaus," she stated, struggling to keep her voice free from emotion. "What the hell are you doing here?"


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

 _1114_

 _Mag stared at the black night sky. It was full of stars. She was lying on the sand, dirty and soaking wet. The waves reached her bare feet, but she didn't even notice that. She as too numb to notice anything. There were no tears left, no voice left to scream. She was empty. Broken._

 _"Mag?" a cautious male voice said._

 _She didn't reply, she simply kept staring at the sky._

 _"Mag? I… Is there… Is there anything I can do? Are you hungry or…?"_

 _"No," she stated. Her voice held no emotion. She didn't feel anything._

 _"Alright…. Do you want me to leave?"_

 _Yes. No. She didn't know. They should probably talk. Why? What would that change? Well, he had been her husband for the last century and unlike her real husband, he had been faithful to her and treated her respectfully. The thought almost made her broke into a hysterical giggle._

 _"I… I know there's nothing I can say that would make any of this any better," he murmured. "I thought that I was Niklaus and…"_

 _"I know," she cut in. "Your life was also taken from you."_

 _"Yes, but… I want you to know that I would have never… I… I thought that you were my wife."_

 _"I know," she repeated. "They did this to us and that's something we both have to live with."_

 _Lucien was quiet for a while before continuing._

 _"I'm sure you hate me and I don't blame you."_

 _She shook her head._

 _"I don't feel anything right now."_

 _"Oh…"_

 _"How about you? Do you hate Elijah?"_

 _"Yes," Lucien replied tensely. "I hate all of them."_

 _She nodded._

 _"That's understandable. None of this is right. No one has the right to take someone else's life like that."_

 _They were both quiet for a long while before Lucien continued._

 _"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I know that doesn't change anything, but I really am sorry. You are a good woman, you didn't deserve… any of that."_

 _"Well, life isn't fair, is it? You were Elijah's puppet and I was yours. We both thought everything was like it was supposed to be. That we were a husband and a wife who loved each other."_

 _A long silence followed her words._

 _"Mag… I know I probably shouldn't say this, but… My feelings for you are real. The happiness I felt with you is real. You are a kind and warm woman, I… I love you."_

 _"You never mistreated me," she murmured after a moment of silence. "For that I thank you, but I can't… I'm broken, Lucien. I don't even know who I am. I'm sure you know how that feels."_

 _"Yes," he replied quietly. "I was Niklaus for so long, much longer than I was Lucien. It feels… confusing."_

 _"I know and I think it will take a long time before either of us is whole again."_

* * *

Klaus looked at his wife who was absolutely gorgeous. Her black hair was up in a stylish bun, her skin looked soft as silk and she was wearing a ruby red evening gown that complimented her curves perfectly. She looked like a confident, sophisticated woman.

"Niklaus. What the hell are you doing here?"

Clearly she wasn't happy to see him, but he hadn't really expected her to be. He had been a terrible husband to her all those years ago. He had been young and foolish. Unfortunately he had realized his mistake too late. He had lost her and despite his efforts, he hadn't been able to find her. Not before few days ago. When he had seen her picture, he had barely believed it. She was alive.

He had thought that he had lost her forever, but there she was, Dr. Maggie Soren. The vampire doctor who was known for her work with all kinds of supernatural creatures. She had even assisted werewolves all around the world with difficult childbirths. Most of her patients were humans, but apparently she had quite a reputation among werewolves as well. She was a vampire, but she was still the person they contacted if they really needed help.

"I must say that I'm surprised," Klaus stated. "A doctor…"

She looked at him coldly.

"Yes, I'm sure you would prefer seeing me as a doormat. Sorry to disappoint you."

"No, no, that's not what I meant. I'm just surprised to see you, that's all. I thought that I would never see you again."

"Well, I never wanted to see you again, so goodbye."

He raised an eyebrow as she marched out of the room.

"Mag, wait."

She didn't stop when he went after her.

"I know that I hurt you, but that was a thousand years ago. Please just listen…"

"No," she cut in and headed out of the auction hall. "I have nothing to say to you."

"Mag, please, this isn't about me, this is about a child's life."

"Not interested," she replied coldly.

Klaus grabbed her and pushed her against the wall.

"Not interested?"

"Let go of me," she hissed. "Right now."

"Not before you listen," he snapped. "Yes, I know that I hurt you and I was a terrible husband, but that was a thousand bloody years ago. Please move your bitterness aside for a moment and think like a doctor. There's an innocent child who is going to die without your help."

She looked at him fiercely.

"You don't know anything about my 'bitterness'," she hissed. "And as I said, not interested."

Klaus' eyes narrowed.

"You're willing to let a child die because of your hatred toward me? Is that it?"

"Yes," she replied coldly. "I don't owe you anything, Niklaus."

"Hmm. And what do you think our son would say if he could see you now?"

That had been low, but Klaus could see that he had hit the nerve. Mag flinched, but soon her face was blank again.

"Our son is dead," she stated icily. "He doesn't say anything."

"Oh please," Klaus huffed. "Maggie Soren? Don't try to tell me that you wouldn't care about our son anymore."

"I never said that. What I don't care about is you."

"Fair enough, I don't expect you to forgive me. I'm simply asking you to be a doctor. It's not me who needs your help, it's an innocent child."

"Since when have you started to care about 'innocent children'?" she snorted. "Who is this child?"

"Her mother is a werewolf," Klaus replied. "She should give birth soon."

"I see. And the father?"

"He's a hybrid," Klaus murmured. "This child will be the first of her kind."

"Right," Mag snorted. "No wonder why you're so eager to help. You want to use this child."

"No, I don't."

"Don't insult me. I've heard more than enough about what you've done over the last centuries. The most feared and hated Original."

Klaus pressed his lips together.

"It's true. Probably everything you've heard. But I would never do anything to hurt this child, I swear to you."

"Really? And why is that?"

Klaus looked Mag in the eyes, hoping that this wouldn't be a mistake.

"Because I'm her father."


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

Mag entered her hotel room and closed the door behind her. She was moving like a robot, she couldn't even recall arriving at the hotel. With Niklaus. He was waiting for her in the hotel bar. He was going to become a father. He would have a daughter. Mag's mind still couldn't comprehend it. She had listened when he had explained his situation to her and asked her to help his child.

Slowly she walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. Niklaus was going to have a child. After centuries of mayhem and destruction, he would have what Mag could never have. And he had actually dared to come here, demanding her help. She had thought that nothing could affect her anymore, but this was like a knife in her heart, tearing all her old wounds open.

Her little boy… She could almost see him in her arms, looking at her with his beautiful, innocent eyes. Trusting eyes. He had trusted her to keep him safe, protect him from all the bad things in the world. She had failed. She hadn't been able to save her son. For so many years she had lived that day in her head over and over again.

Her rational part knew that there had been nothing she could have done, not under those circumstances. There had been no hospitals, doctors or equipments back then. No modern medicine. Still she blamed herself. She should have tried harder. Niklaus should have been there with her. Yes, should have, could have, would have. She couldn't change the past, no matter how much she wanted to. Her son was dead.

And Niklaus was about to have another child. He had said that he would do anything for that child. Yes, now he was willing to do anything, but when Soren had been born, he hadn't even been there. Why the hell would she help him? She wouldn't. She had absolutely no reason. He could just go to hell. What about the child then? She hadn't chosen her father, she was innocent.

Maybe, but none of this was Mag's problem, she had no responsibility to do anything. Except that she had taken an oath to help anyone who needed her help. If she wouldn't help this child because of who her father was… She sighed and buried her face in her hands. Damn it. She couldn't just turn her back on an innocent child. That would make her the most hypocrite person in the world. She took a deep breath and straightened her back after making her decision. First she needed to make a phone call, so she picked up her phone.

" _Yes?"_ a male voice answered.

"Lucien, it's me."

" _Mag?"_

"Yes. You said that I can call you if I ever need your help and now I… I could use some help."

" _Where are you?"_ Lucien asked immediately.

"I'm in New York."

" _Alright… I can be there within two hours."_

"I would be very grateful."

" _It's no problem. I'll make couple of calls and call you after that. You can tell me the details then."_

"Sounds good. Thank you, Lucien."

Mag felt much calmer after hanging up. Now she would take a nice shower, have a glass of wine and change her clothes. Then she would go downstairs and face Niklaus. She would treat this child the same way she would treat any other child. Yes, but she would do this on her own terms. If Niklaus thought for a second that he could push her around, he was sadly mistaken.

* * *

Klaus looked at his watch and took a gulp out of his glass. He had waited over an hour already. Mag had texted him that she would take a shower and pack her things. She had agreed to come to New Orleans with him. That was a relief; he would have one thing less to worry about. Hayley was sick and they all feared for the child.

Normal doctors hadn't been able to help, so Hayley had asked advice from the wolves. One of them had told her about Mag. Klaus still couldn't believe that she was actually here. He had tried to find her after he and his family had left Marseille, but he hadn't succeeded. What had happened to her? How had she become a vampire? Who had turned her? Where had she been for all these years?

Those were just few of the questions Klaus had. It was good that they had a long journey ahead of them, hopefully they could talk. He stood up when he saw Mag walking into the bar. She was wearing a pair of black leggings, black and yellow tunic and a short cream color sweater. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she had a stylish rose print handbag. Again he noticed how confident and womanly she looked. Like a true lady. Quickly he pulled out a chair for her.

"Would you like a drink before we leave?"

"Yes," she replied simply and glanced at the waiter while taking a seat.

The young man hurried to her.

"Good evening, madam. What can I get you?"

"What sweet red wines you have?"

"We have Brachetto d'Acqui, Schiava, Ruby Port…"

"I think I'll take a glass of Ruby Port, thank you."

"Yes, madam. Would you like me to bring you the menu?"

Mag shook her head.

"No, thank you, just the wine."

Klaus couldn't get his eyes off Mag, he couldn't believe how much she had changed. She was absolutely stunning.

"So…" Klaus started after the waiter had left. "Have you been in New York for long?"

"No, just couple of days."

"Hmm. Do you have a home somewhere?"

"Yes," she replied simply and straightened her back.

"And where is that?"

"I have lived in many places," she replied, dodging his question. "I travel a lot."

"Yes, so I heard. You have quite a reputation among the werewolves."

She didn't reply to that, she simply thanked the waiter who brought her the wine.

"Mag… I'm very grateful for your help."

"I'm not doing this for you," she replied sharply.

"I know, but I'm still grateful."

She took a sip out of her glass and crossed her legs.

"You really look stunning," he stated smiling. "But I'm sure you already know that."

Again she didn't reply.

"Mag…"

"Sweetheart?" a male voice called.

Klaus' eyes widened when he saw the man who was approaching their table. Lucien. He was smiling widely as he leaned towards Mag and kissed her on the lips.

"I'm sorry I'm late," he said.

"That's alright," Mag replied and took his hand. "I'm just happy you're here now."

Klaus frowned, what the hell was this?

"Lucien?"

The younger vampire turned to look at Klaus.

"Nik! How wonderful to see you, it has been a while."

"What are you doing here?"

"He's with me," Mag replied calmly.

"Why?"

"Because we are a couple."

"What?"

"A couple," Mag repeated. "Lovers, companions, however you want to put it."

Klaus stared at them disbelievingly.

"You and Lucien?"

"Yes," Mag replied and stood up. "Shall we go then?"

Lucien smiled and wrapped his arm around Mag's waist.

"Lucien will come with me," Mag said. "I'm sure that's not a problem."

It took a brief moment before Klaus managed to react.

"No, of course not.'"

"Good," Mag stated and took some money out of her bag. She was leaving the waiter a very generous tip.

"I'll pay…" Klaus started.

"No need," she cut in.

"Don't bother arguing with her," Lucien chuckled and kissed Mag's cheek. "My lady knows what she wants."

Klaus' eyebrows furrowed as he looked at his wife and his old friend. What the hell was going on?


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

 _Hungary, 1188_

 _Mag looked at the sunset and wrapped her scarf tighter around her. She had been riding for hours and now her horse needed to rest. Unfortunately there didn't seen to be a tavern anywhere near, but Mag didn't really mind. She had spent many nights outdoors during her travels. Over 60 years she had wandered around aimlessly, trying to find some way to make herself whole again. So far she hadn't really succeeded._

 _Sometimes she hated Elijah, sometimes Niklaus, sometimes Lucien. Sometimes she hated herself for being so weak. She had thought about her father, her mother, her stepmother, her husband, her son, Kol, Lucien… It felt like she would have lived many different lives. There had been the Mag who had lost her mother and been treated like scum by her father and stepmother._

 _Then there was the Mag who had been forced to marry a man who didn't want her. The man who had hurt her over and over again. Then there was the Mag who had los her son. The mother Mag. That was who she would have wanted to be the most. There was also the Mag who had sought comfort from her husband's brother. That Mag had been truly pathetic. She had given herself to a man who had said few kind words to her. She had desperately craved for any kind words._

 _She hadn't loved Kol the way he had loved her, but she had been ready to spend the rest of her life with him just because he had treated her better than Niklaus. Then there was Lucien's Mag. The spell had made her believe that he was Niklaus and she loved him. It felt like some strange dream now. She remembered their first kiss as well as their first night together. He had believed that he was her doting husband and she had believed that he was the man she loved, so the sex had been very…. intimate. That was the best word she could think of to describe it._

 _For the first time in her life she had completely exposed herself to someone. Her heart, body and soul. She had given him everything she had. Yes, sometimes she had hated him for forcing her into that kind of situation, but he had sincerely believed that they loved each other. He hadn't purposely taken advantage of her._

 _A century was a long time to spend together. He had said that to him the lie had turned into truth. He had said that he truly loved her. She had thought that they both needed time to recover. They had both experienced something extremely traumatic, something that couldn't be fixed overnight. She had needed to be alone. He hadn't wanted to let her go, but he hadn't stopped her. This was what she needed. She needed to find the real Mag. Maybe someday she would._

 _She sighed and lit up a campfire. Her horse seemed satisfied eating grass and drinking fresh water. Mag was lost in her thoughts when she suddenly realized that her horse was nickering. That alarmed her immediately; she stood up and used her vampire hearing. The first thing she heard was heavy breathing and a very fast heartbeat. That wasn't an animal. It was a person, a woman who let out a weak sob. She was in pain. And she was hurt, Mag smelled the blood._

 _"Hello?" Mag called. "It's alright; I am not going to hurt you."_

 _There was no reply, so she headed into the woods, following the sobs._

 _"Hello?"_

 _The young woman wasn't far, she was lying on the ground, crying. And if Mag wasn't mistaken, she was a werewolf._

 _"It's alright," Mag said quickly and raised her hands in surrender when the woman noticed her and let out a growl._

 _"Stay away from me!" the woman snarled, although Mag could see the desperation in her eyes. She was weak and injured. And she seemed to be with child._

 _"It's alright," Mag repeated calmingly. "I am not going to hurt you."_

 _"You really think I would believe that?" she hissed. "Your friend already murdered my whole family."_

 _"What? What friend?"_

 _"The monster," the woman hissed. "A bloodsucker like you."_

 _"Whoever he was, I can assure you that he is not my friend," Mag replied._

 _"What do you want from me then?" the woman snapped. Clearly she didn't believe Mag._

 _"Well, it seems to me that you could use some help."_

 _"I don't need your help!" the woman snapped. "Just stay aw…." The rest of her sentence turned into scream of pain. Mag realized immediately that she was about to give birth._

 _"Alright," she said firmly and kneeled next to the woman. "You don't have to like me, but right now I am going to help you. Alright?"_

 _The woman glared at her, but she didn't protest. Carefully Mag lifted the hem of her bloody and tattered dress and looked between her legs._

 _"Alright… You are open, but I can't see anything yet." Mag paused and looked at the woman. "How badly are you hurt?"_

 _"It doesn't matter," the woman muttered. "He killed my whole pack."_

 _"I'm so sorry," Mag said sincerely._

 _"Why would you be?" the woman snapped, her eyes filling with tears._

 _"Because I might be a vampire, but I am not a monster," Mag replied. "I don't kill for sport."_

 _"He did," the woman muttered, a tear rolling down her cheek. "He killed everyone, even the children."_

 _"Then he truly is a monster," Mag stated loathingly. "Please believe me when I say that I am not. I only want to help you."_

 _"Why?"_

 _"Because it is the right thing to do."_

 _The young woman looked at Mag with her tearful eyes, unsure of what to think. She was in pain and clearly exhausted. Gently Mag touched her arm._

 _"My name is Mag. How about yours?"_

 _"Anne," she murmured. "Anne Labonair."_

 _"It's nice to meet you, Anne. I will stay right here with you and I will do everything I can to help you, I promise."_

 _Slowly the young woman nodded. She was still cautious, but she didn't have much choice. There was no one else near. Mag had never helped anyone giving birth and for a moment she thought about the birth of her son. The memory almost paralyzed her, but she forced herself to focus. There was a young woman here who needed her. She tried her best to calm Anne down and encouraged her to push._

 _"I can't," she sobbed._

 _"Yes, you can. Think about your child. Your son or daughter."_

 _Anne screamed and cried, but she pushed. And pushed._

 _"That's it, Anne, you are doing great. Just a little more."_

 _She pushed again and Mag saw the top of the child's head._

 _"A little more, your child is almost out."_

 _Anne's voice was hoarse, but she still screamed when she pushed as hard as she could. Suddenly Mag had the tiny creature in her arms. A perfect tiny creature who screamed at the top of his little lungs. Very carefully Mag cut the umbilical cord with the knife she had on her belt and wrapped her scarf around the child._

 _"Congratulations, Anne," she said smiling as she gently handed the newborn to his mother. "You have a son."_

 _Tears were coursing down Anne's cheeks, but this time they were tears of joy._

 _"Thank you," she sobbed._

 _"You are welcome."_

 _The young woman was so exhausted that she lost consciousness. Carefully Mag carried her and the child by the campfire and pulled a blanket over them. The poor girl needed a place to rest and recover. Mag sat beside her, planning to guard her and the child until she would wake up. As Mag looked at the young mother and the child who was resting on her chest, she felt somewhat envious, but most of all, she felt…warm. It was a good feeling. In that moment everything was alright in the world._


	30. Chapter 30

**Warning, mature content**

* * *

 **Chapter 30**

 _Kingdom of Germany, 1003_

 _Niklaus had wrapped his arm possessively around his wife who was smiling at him. Finally her smile was genuine, she remembered who he was. They had just returned to the mansion where they were currently staying._

 _"It worked," he said to Elijah and Rebekah who were looking at him and Mag. "The spell was successful."_

 _"Mag?" Rebekah said. "You remember us now?"_

 _"Yes," Mag replied smiling and hurried to hug her redheaded sister-in-law. "I remember everything."_

 _"I am glad to hear that," Elijah said._

 _Mag hugged him as well._

 _"I am so sorry for everything…"_

 _"Don't be," Niklaus cut in. "Everything is well now. You are with your family."_

 _Mag returned to him and leaned her head on his shoulder._

 _"Yes. I couldn't be happier."_

 _Niklaus wrapped his arm around her again and kissed her forehead._

 _"My sweet wife."_

 _He had been waiting for this moment ever since poor Mag had lost her memories and now he was more than eager to be alone with her._

 _"I think Mag needs some rest now," he stated. "I better escort her to our chamber."_

 _Elijah gave him an amused look._

 _"Of course, brother. Good night, Mag."_

 _"Good night, Elijah," she replied smiling. "Rebekah."_

 _They had barely walked out of the parlor when Niklaus lifted her up into his arms._

 _"Niklaus," she giggled. "What are you doing?"_

 _"Carrying you, my beautiful princess," he hummed, struggling to control himself. He needed to take this slow, no matter how badly he wanted her. Not to mention he needed to make sure that she was ready for this. He carried her to their chamber and closed the door behind them._

 _"Are you alright, my love?" he asked as he placed her on the floor._

 _She smiled and softly touched his cheek._

 _"Yes, I am fine, my husband."_

 _He smiled and cupped her face._

 _"I have waited so long to hear you call me that, my darling wife."_

 _Gently he turned her around, pulling her so close to him that her back was against his chest and stomach. She sighed as he began stroking her neck with his fingertips._

 _"My sweet Mag," he hummed and leaned closer, letting his lips replace his fingers. She shivered as he covered her neck with kisses while gently peeling her gown off of her shoulders._

 _"My love…" he murmured. "Is this…too soon?"_

 _"No," she sighed. "I want this. I want you."_

 _His body reacted to her words more than he had thought was even possible. He had never in his life wanted anything so badly than he wanted her right now. She let out a moan when he sucked her neck while his hands tore her gown off. His hand found her bare breast and began stroking it._

 _"Oh Niklaus," she moaned as he took her nipple against his thumb and finger, massaging it until it was hard. His other hand gave her other breast the same treatment while his mouth continued sucking her neck._

 _"Does this feel good, my sweet?" he hummed against her skin._

 _"Oh yes," she moaned, throwing her head back against his shoulder._

 _He grinned and slid his other hand down. She gasped when he parted her legs and stroked her sensitive little nub._

 _"Niklaus…"_

 _His lips remained on her neck while his fingers made her wet before he thrust a finger inside of her. She moaned desperately as he added a second finger and began pumping them in and out of her. Her moans were the most beautiful sound he had ever heard, he felt her body tensing against him as she was getting close to release. He smiled and moved his fingers faster while his thumb kept stimulating her nub. Her whole body was shaking and she cried out his name as she came._

 _"My sweet Mag," he hummed and lifted her up. She was panting as he lied her down on the bed. For a moment he simply stood by the bed, looking at her. She was perfect. His wife. She smiled at him as he undressed and joined her and she giggled when his hands moved up and down her legs in a teasing manner._

 _"Kiss me," she demanded._

 _He had no problem complying, quickly he pulled her into his awaiting lap. The kiss was fierce and she moved her hips teasingly. He was already painfully hard, but she didn't take him inside of her._

 _"Mag…" he groaned._

 _"Patience, my husband," she whispered and nibbled his ear._

 _That was all he could take, he laid her against the bed and parted her legs. She cried out when he began lapping her hungrily and grabbed her hips to keep her in place as she tried to squirm away. She wasn't going anywhere. He made her cry out his name over and over again before she came hard. She was panting and shaking as he tried to position himself to her entrance, but again she didn't allow it._

 _"Not yet," she hummed and pushed him beside her._

 _"You are torturing me," he complained._

 _"I know," she replied smiling and moved lower._

 _His eyes widened and he gasped in shock when she suddenly grabbed his member._

 _"Mag," he groaned as she moved her hand up and down his length while her tongue licked the head. "Oh god!" he cried out when she took him into her mouth. She barely managed to get started when he had to stop her, he didn't want to come yet. He wanted to come inside of her. This time she didn't stop him; her wet inner walls welcomed him as he pushed into her._

 _His thrusts were slow and tender; his eyes were on hers the whole time. She was so beautiful under him, eagerly meeting his thrusts. Their fingers entwined and he kept whispering adoring words in her ear. He loved her with all his heart and he was never going to let her go._

* * *

Lucien's arm was around Mag as they sat in his private plane. Nik was sitting opposite them and he looked everything but happy. Lucien was enjoying every moment of this. Not only he was close to Mag, but he also had a chance to see that look in Nik's eyes. This was so perfect that he would have gladly paid for this.

Mag felt just as soft as he had remembered and she looked more beautiful than ever. For so many years he had dreamt of her, trying to find a way to make her his again. At least she had accepted his friendship, but he wanted more. He wanted her to be his queen. When she had called and asked him to accompany her to New Orleans, pretending that they were together, he had said yes immediately.

She was his soft spot; he would have done anything for her. His Mag. She was the love of his life; he had never stopped loving her and he was going to make sure that the Mikaelsons would never hurt her again.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

"So," Klaus stated after he was sure that he could keep his voice free from emotion. "How long have you two been together?"

"For a while," Mag replied calmly.

"Hmm."

Klaus glanced at Lucien and smiled.

"You don't mind her being sold off to other men?"

Klaus was pleased to see that he had managed to wipe the arrogant smile off Lucien's face.

"What?"

"The charity auction, darling," Mag said and took Lucien's hand. "You remember I told you about it? People could bid a dinner with bachelors and bachelorettes. I agreed to be one of the bachelorettes since all the profits go to the children's hospital."

"Oh yes, of course, I remember now," Lucien replied. He was smiling again as he kissed Mag. "My angel has a heart of gold."

"You don't mind her having dinner with other men then?" Klaus asked innocently.

"No," Lucien replied smiling. "She's not my captive, I trust her completely."

"That's wonderful, good for you. I promise to take good care of her."

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

Klaus pretended to be surprised.

"Didn't she tell you? I won the auction and I have the privilege to take her out for dinner."

"No, you don't," Mag stated firmly.

"Why not? Surely Lucien won't mind two old friends catching up…"

"We're not friends, Niklaus. I'm only doing this for the child."

"And as I said, I'm more than grateful," Klaus replied smiling. "You have always been a good woman, Mag. And a good wife."

He glanced at Lucien when he said the last word.

"Yes," Lucien hummed and kissed Mag's hand. "I certainly know how lucky I am to have her."

Mag smiled at Klaus before moving onto Lucien's lap.

"I've missed you," she purred and kissed him with so much passion that he gasped.

Klaus' eyes darkened as he watched his wife rubbing herself against Lucien who was groaning with pleasure. All Klaus wanted was to grab her and show her who she really belonged to. Her curved little butt was moving up and down on Lucien's lap, begging to be played with. Finally she pulled away and returned to her own seat.

"We'll continue this later, darling," she purred and leaned her head on Lucien's shoulder.

"Can't wait," he replied and wrapped his arm around her.

"Now if you both excuse me, I would like to rest for a moment before we arrive to New Orleans," Mag added.

"Of course, darling," Lucien replied and placed a pillow on his lap.

"Thank you," Mag said smiling and rested her head on the pillow. Lucien touched her hair and pulled a blanket over her.

"Rest, my love."

Klaus didn't say anything as Mag closed her eyes. He still couldn't believe that after all these years she was really here. His wife. His Mag. He had been nothing but a fool for treating her like he had. Now he had a chance to fix everything. Of course his daughter's wellbeing came first, but he believed that this was also his chance to make things right with his wife. She was still _his_ wife and he had no intention letting Lucien keep her.

* * *

"Mag…" Rebekah gasped. "I can't believe this…"

"Hello, Rebekah," Mag greeted her. They had just arrived at the compound where Niklaus and his family were staying and Mag couldn't deny that she felt tense. She hadn't asked were all Niklaus' siblings here. Was Kol here? Hopefully not, she felt that she had enough to deal with right now. Thankfully Lucien would be here soon, he had needed to talk about something with his driver.

"Oh Mag," Rebekah said and suddenly hugged her. Mag was surprised, but she didn't push Rebekah away. They had been friends all those years ago and Rebekah hadn't wronged her in any way.

"I didn't think I'll ever see you again," Rebekah murmured. "I'm glad I was wrong."

"It's good to see you too," Mag replied after Rebekah finally pulled away. "You look lovely."

"Thanks, you too. Really, you look stunning."

"Thank you."

"She does look stunning," Niklaus added. "Just like always."

Mag ignored his words; she had no intention to pay him more attention than she had to. She was glad Lucien had agreed to accompany her, but she was also embarrassed by her behavior on the plane. She hadn't meant to go that far, but she had really wanted to teach Niklaus a lesson. The way he had talked, like she would still be his… She wasn't his wife anymore and she never would be.

Hopefully Lucien understood. Suddenly it occurred to her that she hadn't even bothered to ask was he seeing someone. How selfish was she? He had been her loyal friend for centuries and once again he had been ready to help when she needed him. She most definitely owed him an apology, but right now she needed to focus on facing Niklaus' family.

"Mag."

She froze when she heard Elijah's voice; he was walking down the stairs.

"Elijah," she stated, managing to sound calm. He looked very different now, his hair was short and he was wearing a dark suit. He was smiling as he approached her.

"Thank you for coming. It's good to see you."

"I'm here for the child," she stated, struggling to stay calm. There he was, smiling at her after stealing her life. She wanted to shout at him. She wanted to hurt him. She wanted to do something. Anything. Yet she didn't. She was frozen until a young brunette appeared in the courtyard. Judging by her very noticeable baby bump, she was the mother of Niklaus' child.

"Hayley, what are you doing here?" Elijah asked. "You should be in bed."

"Yeah well, I'm not tired," she replied, keeping her eyes on Mag. "You're the doctor?"

"Yes," Mag replied and walked over to her. "Mag Soren."

"Hayley Marshall."

Mag remembered her manners and held out her hand. The werewolf shook it after a brief moment of hesitation.

"How are you feeling, Hayley?"

"Like crap."

"I'm sorry to hear that, but hopefully there's something I can do to help." Mag paused and glanced at Niklaus. "I need to examine Miss Marshall; do you have proper equipments here?"

Niklaus shook his head.

"I'm afraid not, but I can arrange anything you need."

"I think it's best if we do this in the hospital," Mag replied. "If that's alright with you, Hayley?"

She nodded.

"Just do whatever you have to do."

Mag nodded and gave her an encouraging smile. A doctor's smile. That was all she was right now, a doctor who needed to take care of her patient. Everything else could wait.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

"So…" Hayley started as she lied on the examination table. "You're Klaus'… ex-wife?"

"Yes," Mag replied from between Hayley's legs. She was just performing her pelvic exam. This whole thing wasn't weird at all… Hayley wouldn't have agreed to this, if she would have had a choice. Unfortunately she didn't. Something was wrong with her daughter and so far no doctor or a witch had been able to help. Hopefully this woman was as good as she was supposed to be.

Couple of members of the Crescent Pack had heard good things about this vampire doctor. Still she was Klaus' ex-wife, Hayley couldn't be completely sure that she could trust this woman. Rebekah had assured that they could trust her, but if Hayley had understood correctly, Rebekah hadn't seen her for centuries. None of the Mikaelsons had said much about her and Klaus' history, but knowing Klaus, he had probably messed things up.

"Right…" Hayley paused, deciding that she needed to find out at least something about Mag's history with Klaus. "So, when were you two together?"

"That was centuries ago. You have nothing to worry about, I can assure you."

Hayley frowned.

"What? Why would I worry?"

"I have no intention to come between you and Niklaus…"

"Woah, woah. There's no me and Klaus. Ew."

"Alright," Mag replied calmly. "I apologize, whatever your relationship with him is, that's none of my business."

Hayley could easily pick up the coolness in her voice.

"Okay… I take it that things didn't end well between you two?"

"I'm here to help you and your child," Mag replied. "I'll do everything I can to make sure that you both will be alright. You can count on that."

Could she really?

"Not many women are very eager to help their ex-husbands," Hayley stated.

"I'm not helping him," Mag replied. "I'm helping you and the child."

"Fair enough, but I hope you can understand my skepticism."

"I do, this is your child we are talking about." Mag paused and stood up, removing her examination gloves. "I have spent centuries helping people, mostly women and children, I have taken an oath to help those in need and I can assure you that I would never break that oath by harming an innocent child. It makes no difference how I feel about Niklaus, I will still do everything I can for you and your child, I swear."

Hayley looked her in the eyes and believed that she meant what she said.

"Okay. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to offend you…"

"You didn't. As I said, this is about your child; you have every right to be skeptical. Now, about your breasts, have they been sore?"

"Yeah."

"Any pain?"

"Yeah, some."

"Alright, I'll examine them next."

"Okay."

Mag rubbed her hands before carefully lifting Hayley's hospital gown.

"I apologize if my hands are cold."

"No worries," Hayley replied. Mag's hands didn't in fact feel cold, only soft.

"You have a nice touch," Hayley said before considering her words. "I'm sorry, was that a weird thing to say?"

"Not at all."

"I just meant that you don't squeeze them like a stress toy, like some doctors do."

"Well, I'm glad to hear I'm not one of those doctors."

She finished her examination and started to prepare for an ultrasound.

"This may feel a little cold," she said.

"Yeah, I know," Hayley replied.

Gently Mag rubbed gel all over Hayley's bump and slid the transducer over it. She didn't say anything; her eyes were on the screen the whole time.

"Alright," she finally said. "I need to run some tests before I know anything for sure."

"Are you suspecting something?" Hayley asked. "Is my baby…"

"She's fine," Mag assured. "She has a strong heartbeat."

"Good," Hayley sighed. "Good. It's strange really, I never meant to get pregnant, I wasn't even sure if I ever wanted a child, but now… I would do anything for her."

"Yes," Mag murmured. "Children change people."

"Yeah, you could say that," Hayley huffed. "I mean, Klaus for example, he was obnoxious before, but now he's driving me crazy. He thinks that he needs to guard my every step and you should see all the things he and his siblings have already bought for the baby. This child will be the most spoiled little girl in the world."

"Hmm. All children deserve to be loved."

Hayley picked up the tension in Mag's voice and wondered if she still had some feelings for Klaus after all. Was she jealous?

"I'm sure you will be an excellent mother," Mag added. "And hopefully Niklaus will be a good father."

Mag went to wash her hands and told Hayley that she could get dressed. Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah entered the room before Hayley was finished.

"What did you find out?" Klaus asked.

Mag turned to look at him and crossed her arms. She did look like a real doctor wearing a white coat.

"I can't say anything sure yet," she replied. "As I told Hayley, I need to run few tests first."

"How long will that take?" Elijah asked.

"I should have some answers tomorrow," Mag stated. Hayley noticed that she sounded tense again and she wasn't looking at Elijah. Wait… Did she have a history with Elijah as well?

"Alright," Rebekah said. "Let's get Hayley home then and Mag, of course you'll stay at the compound, right?"

"I appreciate the invitation, but Lucien has booked a hotel suite for us," Mag replied. She was smiling, but her smile seemed more or less forced.

"Come on, Mag," Rebekah complained. "I haven't seen you in ages, I'm sure Lucien understands…"

"Could we spend time together tomorrow?" Mag cut in. "I'm really sorry, Rebekah, but the truth is that I'm very tired. I'm afraid I wouldn't be very good company tonight."

"Fine," Rebekah sighed. "But we'll do something wild tomorrow."

"Sure, that sounds fun."

Somehow Hayley couldn't imagine Mag doing anything wild. She seemed like a very steady type. Unlike Klaus. How had they ended up together?

"Darling," a male voice said from the door. That had to be this Lucien Mag had mentioned. Hayley couldn't deny that she was surprised when she looked at the man. He was very handsome. Some women might have even called him gorgeous. He was smiling charmingly as he walked over to Mag and kissed her cheek. They were a couple then. And she had a history with Klaus and possibly with Elijah as well.

Hayley was surprised, she couldn't help it. Not that there was anything wrong with Mag's appearance, but still… She wasn't a classical beauty. It had to be her mind and personality that attracted men. Was Elijah still attracted to her? He was looking at her somehow strangely. Hayley didn't like that at all.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

"Here, darling," Lucien said as he handed Mag a glass of wine.

"Thank you," she murmured.

The day had been worse than she had thought and she had already drunk a bottle of wine in Lucien's limousine after they had left the hospital. Normally she didn't drink like that, but after today she had needed some kind of distraction. Listening to Hayley talking about her child… It had stung more than Mag wanted to admit.

" _I never meant to get pregnant, I wasn't even sure if I ever wanted a child… Klaus for example, he was obnoxious before, but now he's driving me crazy. He thinks that he needs to guard my every step and you should see all the things he and his siblings have already bought for the baby. This child will be the most spoiled little girl in the world…"_

Mag felt bitterness, she couldn't help it. Of course she knew how childish and pathetic that was and she hoped that she could be a better person, but apparently she couldn't. She felt like all her old wounds would have been torn open again.

"More wine?" Lucien asked.

Mag hadn't even noticed that she had already emptied her glass.

"Yes, please."

Lucien poured her glass full and sat on the sofa beside her. The suite was very luxurious, unlike the hotel rooms Mag usually stayed. She didn't really care about luxury and she hadn't paid much attention to her surroundings after she and Lucien had arrived here a moment ago.

"I'm sorry," she sighed after a moment of silence.

"For what?"

"For all of this. I had no right to pull you into this, I was selfish and I didn't even ask if you are seeing someone before I asked you to pretend that we're dating…"

"Mag," he cut in. "Everything is fine, you didn't force me into anything. I'm here because I want to be."

She emptied her glass before replying.

"You're a good friend. I'm not."

He smiled and poured her more wine.

"I don't know about that."

"I do," she sighed. "I'm not a good person."

"Mag…"

"I'm really not. After all these centuries, I'm still the bitter woman who envies her ex-husband."

She emptied her glass again and took the bottle from Lucien.

"I'm nothing but pathetic."

"There's nothing pathetic about you," Lucien replied firmly. "You're the strongest woman I've ever met."

"You don't have to say that…"

"I mean it. You are an incredible woman, Mag."

She was quiet for a brief moment before looking at him.

"And you're an incredible friend. Thank you, Lucien."

"My pleasure," he replied smiling. "Now turn around."

"Why?"

"Just do it. I promise you won't be sorry."

She grinned and took a long gulp out of the bottle before placing it on the coffee table.

"Fine."

She felt him moving closer to her and gasped when he started to massage her shoulders.

"Oh God…"

"Thank you, I've been called that before," he hummed.

"I'm sure you have. Oh… Oh, that feels so good…"

She hadn't realized how tense her whole body was, but now her muscles started slowly to relax. His fingers found all her problem spots as he kept massaging her neck, shoulders and back.

"You are a wonderful man," she sighed.

"I know," he replied. "Turn around and lie down."

She obeyed and sighed blissfully as he continued with her feet. She couldn't remember the last time someone would have given her a foot massage. A satisfied moan escaped her lips as she picked up the bottle and emptied it. He moved on to her calves as she opened a new bottle.

"Are you feeling any better?" he asked.

"Much better. I can't even remember why I was so stressed."

"That's good. I hate to see you upset."

"Thank you."

She didn't get up after he was finished, she preferred lying down. The sofa was very comfortable. Lucien poured himself another glass of scotch and leaned back on his seat.

"I'm not seeing anyone, by the way," he stated after a moment of silence.

"Oh. Why not? I'm sure there are countless of women who would love to date you."

"Well, I'm not a dating type."

"Me neither," Mag murmured. "It has been ages since…"

"Since what?" Lucien asked when she didn't continue.

Mag rolled her eyes and took a long gulp out of her bottle.

"I think you can guess."

"Hmm. So tell me, how long is "ages"? A month?"

"Longer," she huffed.

"Two months? Three?"

"Longer."

"A year?"

"Try 70 years."

Lucien's eyes widened.

"You can't be serious. 70 years?"

"Yes, it was during the Second World War. He was a soldier and I was working as a nurse. One thing led to another and… you know. He was a very nice man. A gentleman."

"I see. But come on, 70 years…"

"I've been busy alright?"

"Of course, I meant no disrespect, I just…"

"What?" Mag huffed.

"I can't believe that a woman like you have lived without being touched for 70 years."

Mag glanced at him sharply.

"Are you mocking me?"

"What, no! I just meant that if I would have a woman like you, I would show her every day how special she is."

"That's a sweet thing to say. I never thought of you as a romantic type."

"Oh come on," Lucien hummed smiling. "Have you forgotten our special night in that villa in Valencia?"

"Oh lord," Mag giggled. "I can't believe you still remember that."

"How could I forget? I wanted to arrange something special for you, but not that special."

"Oh come on, it was an honest mistake. And a nice thought. You decorated our whole bed with those pretty flowers, how were you supposed to know that they were poisonous?"

"Yes, unfortunately neither of us noticed that before we were naked on the bed."

"That was unpleasant," Mag giggled. "I screamed and then the maid came in and fainted. Tristan thought that we were attacked and stormed in, can you remember that?"

"Unfortunately yes," Lucien chuckled.

"And then we ran to the ocean naked."

"And made love in the moonlight," Lucien finished.

They were both quiet after that. Mag remembered well how Lucien's touch had felt like. With him the sex had truly been making love because they both had thought that they loved each other. It had all felt so complicated after the compulsion had ended, but right now it didn't feel complicated at all. She was a woman, he was a man, they were both adults with needs. Normally she wouldn't have been so bold, but right now she was a little tipsy and she needed a distraction.

"Lucien?" she hummed after a long silence.

"Yes?"

"I would like to have sex with you tonight."


	34. Chapter 34

**Warning, mature content**

* * *

 **Chapter 34**

"I would like to have sex with you tonight."

For a moment Lucien was sure that he had misheard Mag.

"Excuse me?"

She smiled and got into a sitting position.

"I would like to have sex with you tonight," she repeated. "If you want that too."

Was she serious? He had wanted her ever since their "marriage" had ended and now she finally wanted him as well. He couldn't believe his luck. Except…

"Mag," he started cautiously. "How drunk are you, sweetheart?"

She giggled and touched his cheek.

"You're so sweet for asking that. I doubt that many men would."

"I would never take advantage of you," he replied. "I value and respect you…"

"You don't have to flatter me; I already want to have sex with you. And no, I'm not so drunk that I wouldn't know what I'm doing. You wouldn't take advantage of anyone."

Lucien hesitated, even though all his instincts told him to take this woman. His woman.

"I wasn't flattering you," he murmured. "You have no idea how much I respect you."

"Right," she stated and cleared her throat. She was clearly embarrassed. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I'm not usually so outspoken, could we please just forget I ever said anything…"

"What? Why?"

She looked even more embarrassed.

"It's alright, you don't have to explain. I shouldn't have thrown myself at you like that…"

Lucien pulled her into his embrace and muffled the rest of her sentence with a passionate kiss. She looked stunned as he pulled away.

"Are you insane, woman?" he groaned. "Did you honestly think that I wouldn't want you?"

"I thought… You said…"

"That I respect you? Of course I do, but that won't stop me from doing this."

She gasped as he suddenly pulled her on his lap and turned her around, pressing her back against his chest. How he had missed this, feeling her body against him. His hand found it's way in her pants, she shivered as he played with the edging of her panties.

"It has been too long since someone has touched you here," he whispered in her ear and pushed his fingers inside her panties. "But don't worry, darling, you'll come tonight. Again, again and again…"

He smiled when he felt that she was already wet, she cried out as his thumb found her clit.

"So sensitive," he hummed. "I love that."

He wasn't very gentle, but right now he could tell that this was what she needed. A release. She moaned as he thrust a finger inside of her and began moving it, slowly at first, then faster. She felt tight and he gave her body a moment to adjust before he added a second finger. His thumb was still massaging her clit and his lips touched her neck. She was shaking and moaning even louder as he fastened his rhythm, pumping his fingers in and out of her with his vampire speed. Feeling and smelling her juices and having her squirming on his lap made his body react quickly.

"Ah…Ah…Oh God!"

"Almost, sweetheart," he hummed seductively. "Come for me."

It didn't take her body long to reach its limit, she cried out as she came against his fingers. He continued massaging her, making sure that she enjoyed her aftershocks. Slowly her body stopped shaking and her head fell back against his shoulder.

"Oh Lucien…" she murmured. "That was wonderful. I needed that."

He smiled and touched her neck with his tongue.

"What else do you need, sweetheart?"

She got up and removed her tunic as well as her black bra. Her breasts were even more beautiful than he had remembered, he reached out to taste them, but she took a step back.

"I want you to carry me to the bathroom and take me right there against the wall."

He was already aroused, but her words made him painfully hard.

"The lady knows what she wants," he hummed as he rose from his seat. "And I will be more than happy to comply. But first…"

He removed her Capri pants and her panties, wanting to admire her naked body. She was absolutely gorgeous, his mouth watered as he smelled her arousal. She giggled as he lifted her up into his arms and carried her to the bathroom bridal style. He had missed her laughter, hearing it made him happy as well.

"Your turn," she purred after he placed her on the floor.

Her fingers started to unbuckle his belt while he unbuttoned his shirt. She unzipped his pants and pulled them down before stepping into the shower and turning the water on. Her back was turned as he joined her and he took a moment to admire her curvy little butt. His fingers caressed it before he turned her around and crushed his mouth into hers, kissing her with all the longing that had built up over the past centuries.

She returned the kiss eagerly, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck. When she parted her soft lips slightly it was more than enough of an invitation. He invaded her mouth with his skilled tongue, exploring every part, kissing her with more passion and desire than he had thought was possible.

He reached down under her thighs, gripping her as he lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. She gasped as he moved them up against the wall, pressing into her forcefully and letting her know without a doubt how much he wanted her. She moaned into his mouth as she felt his hardness press against her thigh.

"Take me," she moaned.

There was nothing he wanted more, she was so beautiful. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her soft sexy curves aroused him unlike any other woman. She was the only woman he had ever truly loved. He wanted to be inside of her, feel her walls tighten around his hard member, hear her crying out his name in ecstasy.

Yet instead of taking her right away, he began kissing along her collarbone, up her neck and jaw line. Her whole body was shaking, he could practically sense the decades of unreleased sexual desire going through her body, demanding to get out. Just the thought of him being the one to satisfy her tonight, made him grin.

"Lucien," she complained and tried to move her hips.

He smirked and touched the sensitive spot under her ear with his tongue.

"Patience, darling. I will make you come again very soon."

She squirmed and moaned as he closed his lips around her breast and sucked it.

"Lucien, please," she moaned. "I need to feel you inside of me."

That was all he could take, in one fluid movement he pushed inside her soaking wet softness. She cried out and her body shuddered, she was about to reach her peak already. He began to move with long deep strokes inside of her as she moaned in satisfaction and encouragement. It wasn't long before he felt her body beginning to tense against him, her nails digging deeper into his shoulders with each stroke.

He quickened his pace, groaning as he felt her climaxing. Somehow he managed to stop himself from coming as well; instead he continued thrusting into her, preparing her for another climax. She moaned and whimpered, begging him to continue.

"Oh Lucien… Please don't stop…"

He didn't, not before she reached her peak again and collapsed against him. With few more thrusts he finally got his own release and spilled his seed inside of her. They stayed there, tangled in other's arms for several minutes, trying to recover. After making sure that Mag's legs could hold her, Lucien placed her on the floor.

"Wow," she murmured. "That was amazing."

"I agree," Lucien replied smiling and kissed her.

They took a relaxing shower together, washing each other's hair and skin.

"Are you tired?" Mag asked after a long, but not uncomfortable silence.

Lucien shook his head.

"No. What do you have in mind?"

Mag bit her bottom lip.

"Well… There's this one new position I would like to try."

Lucien smiled.

"Really? Well I'm intrigued, tell me more."

"I think it's called a reverse cowgirl."

Lucien's eyes widened.

"You…want to try that with me?"

Mag looked embarrassed.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to suggest anything inappropriate…"

"Inappropriate? Are you kidding? Right now I think I must have died and gone to heaven."

She laughed and touched his cheek.

"Thank you, Lucien."

"For what?"

She shrugged.

"For being… you. You're one of the very few people I trust."

"I'm glad to hear that." He paused and cleared his throat. "And I'm still at your service, so if you want we can continue this in the bedroom."

She nodded.

"Yes please."

He wrapped a towel around her before lifting her up. It seemed that this would be one of the most wonderful nights in his life.


	35. Chapter 35

**Warning, mature content**

* * *

 **Chapter 35**

"Lucien…" Mag moaned and threw her head back on the pillow. "Oh God! Oh Lucien!"

His head was between her legs and his skilful tongue was giving her so much pleasure that she was about to pass out. He was running his tongue through her slit over and over again, teasing every sensitive nerve until he reached her swollen clit and began to play with it.

"Oh God!"

She could feel him smiling as she arched her hips, thrusting against his hungry mouth. He grabbed her hips and pushed her against the mattress as his tongue continued lapping her, founding all her most sensitive spots. Finally he took her clit between his lips and sucked it until she came down hard on his mouth. The orgasm was so powerful that her vision blurred and her whole body juddered.

"Mag?" Lucien's voice called from somewhere far away. "Are you alright, sweetheart?"

Somehow she managed to nod.

"Y-yes," she panted, feeling nothing but euphoric. "That was incredible."

"Thank you," he hummed, clearly pleased with himself.

She blinked few times, trying to clear her vision.

"That thing you did…when you twirled your tongue…wow. Really wow."

"I know," he hummed and touched her cheek. "And may I just say that you look lovely after you have had an orgasm."

"Thank you," she giggled. "And thank you for all the orgasms you've given me tonight."

He grinned and touched her hair.

"The night is still young, darling."

He bent to kiss her lips but she rolled away from him at the last second. It was time for her to take over. She came up on her hands and knees and threw her full weight into knocking him onto his back.

"You don't get to kiss me yet," she purred. "You just lay there and behave yourself."

His eyes widened, but he got over his surprise quickly.

"As my lady wishes."

She straddled his hips and smiled down at him. Her hands caressed his muscular chest and she leaned down to kiss it. He tensed as she planted kisses and small love bites down his stomach. She had missed sex, she couldn't deny that and this time she felt more confident and bolder than ever before. Lucien gasped as she reached his erection and ran her hand up and down his length.

"Mag…"

"You like this?" she asked innocently.

"Yes," he panted. "Oh God yes."

She gave him a wicked smile and teased the tip before wrapping her entire hand around him.

He inhaled sharply and let out a groan.

"How about this?" she asked as she flicked her tongue over him. "Do you like this?"

"Oh God Mag… You're killing me."

She grinned at him and took his length in her mouth, sucking hard and deep.

He gasped and gripped the sheets as his hips lifted off the bed. She massaged his full length with her lips and plied him over and over again with her tongue. His breaths came hard and fast so she stopped and pulled up.

"Not so fast," she hummed. "I'm not finished with you yet"

He stared at her hungrily and tried to crawl onto her but she stopped him with a hand on his chest. "On your back," she ordered.

He grinned and obediently lay on his back as she started to straddle his stomach. This was it; she could try this new position now. Lucien had assured her that he wouldn't mind, so she didn't ask his permission before she turned her back to him. A reverse cowgirl…. Silly name, but she wanted to try it and apparently men loved the view. She faced Lucien's feet and took him her hand again, making him groan. Alright, this shouldn't be too difficult. She rose up, positioned him at the wet entrance of her body and sunk down onto him. Oh lord… Sighing with bliss, she took all of him into her.

"Does this feel alright?" she panted.

"Oh God yes!" he groaned. "Don't stop."

She closed her eyes and moaned as she started rocking her hips. She was completely in control now, commanding the pace. Lucien panted and groaned underneath her while she rode him. She felt powerful and she loved every moment. The modern women didn't have to be ashamed of their sexuality; they had the right to enjoy it. She smiled as she felt Lucien's hands squeezing her butt.

"Oh God Mag…"

She leaned forward and put her full weight onto her hands in front of her, rocking her hips back and forth faster. That was all Lucien could take, he grabbed her hips and pulled her down hard onto him. She cried out as she climaxed and he followed her a moment later. Still inside her, he rolled up and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Was that like you hoped?" he hummed.

She nodded.

"Yes. Did you like that?"

She gasped as he cupped her breasts.

"No. I loved that."

They both laughed as they collapsed on the bed together.

"You have the most perfect breasts," he hummed as he pulled her into his embrace.

"Thank you," she murmured, caressing his chest with her finger. "I like many parts of you as well."

"Many parts? Such as?"

"You know."

"No, I'm afraid I don't know. You'll have to tell me."

He chuckled as she gently bit his chest.

"Thank you for this night," she murmured.

"You're welcome," he replied and yawned.

She was tired as well, but most of all she was completely relaxed and content. It didn't take long before she was in a deep sleep.

* * *

Klaus marched down the corridor to the door that led to Mag's suite. He had tried his best to control himself, but he had failed. How could he just stay at the compound when he finally had a chance to see his wife again? He needed to speak to her, make her understand how sorry he was. He wasn't that young and foolish man he had been back then. She needed to see that and forgive him.

And this thing she had with Lucien… Klaus didn't think for a second that it would be a problem. He had no doubt that he would have her back. She was his wife, she belonged to him. He knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Fortunately he had compelled the receptionist to give him a keycard. He opened the door and entered the suite.

The first thing he saw was clothes lying on the floor. He picked up black bra and heard moaning from the bedroom. The voice belonged to Mag. Klaus froze and stared at the bedroom door. It was slightly open. His wife was in there with another man. Klaus' first thought was to kill that man. Before he even realized it, he was standing at the door.

He wasn't prepared for what he saw. Mag was on top of Lucien, her back turned to his face. Her eyes were closed as she rode him, her breasts bouncing up and down. She moaned and ran her fingers through her hair before she began to rub her breasts. Klaus didn't think that he had ever seen anything so erotic in his life. His body reacted immediately, his eyes darkened and he was painfully hard.

"Ah…Ah…"

He bit his bottom lip, trying to resist the urge to touch himself. He didn't have to, seeing Mag having an orgasm, made him come. It took him couple of seconds to recover enough to zoom out of the suite. For a moment he was too shocked to understand what had just happened. He really needed a drink.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

"Thanks," Hayley sighed as Elijah placed a breakfast tray on her nightstand. She hated this whole bed rest thing, but of course she would do whatever she had to do for her daughter.

"You're welcome," Elijah replied smiling. "How are you feeling?"

"Nauseous," she huffed. "Nothing new there."

"I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do?"

"Have you heard anything from the doctor?"

Elijah shook his head.

"No, not yet."

Hayley hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"So… What happened between her and Klaus?"

Her question clearly surprised Elijah, but he got over that quickly.

"Well… She was married off to Niklaus when we were still humans. It didn't last."

Hayley's eyes widened.

"Married off?"

"Yes, arranged marriages were common back then."

"Did she want to marry him?"

Elijah cleared his throat.

"I'm not sure. They barely knew one another, but as far as I can tell, they got along. Until our mother's spell."

"Why didn't your mother turn her as well, if she was Klaus' wife?"

Elijah bit his bottom lip.

"She… She was pregnant. Mother didn't want to risk the child's life."

"What?" Hayley gasped. "Klaus has a child with her?"

Elijah looked sad as he shook his head.

"No, the child died soon after Mag gave birth to him."

"Oh…"

"We were running from our father and we sailed across the sea to Europe. Mag didn't really recover from her loss and eventually she left us."

"Right…" Hayley murmured. "Did one of you turn her?"

"No, I don't know who did."

Hayley took a moment to process all this new information. Of course she felt bad for Mag, she couldn't even imagine how losing a child would feel like. But…

"Are you sure that we can trust her? I mean… She lost her child and now she's supposed to help my child. And what about that boyfriend of hers? Rebekah said that he's the first person Klaus turned."

Elijah's eyebrows furrowed.

"Yes, that's true. And no, I don't trust Lucien at all. Mag on the other hand… I've heard that she's an excellent doctor, but I am keeping an eye on her, you don't have to worry about that."

Hayley nodded.

"Good…. So…Were you two…close?"

"Not really. She was my sister-in-law and we got along fine, but I wouldn't say that we were very close."

Hayley couldn't deny that she was pleased to hear that. At least Mag didn't have a history with Elijah. She didn't have time to say anything when the door opened and Rebekah marched in.

"Have you seen Nik?" she huffed.

"Good morning to you too," Elijah replied. "And no, not since last night."

"Typical," Rebekah snorted. "He's been out the whole night and he's not answering his phone."

"I'm sure he'll be here soon," Elijah stated.

Rebekah bit her bottom lip.

"You don't think… Could he have gone to see Mag?"

"I'm sure he hasn't…"

Elijah didn't finish his sentence, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Maybe."

"I was afraid of that," Rebekah sighed. "Let's hope he hasn't caused trouble."

"Why would he have caused trouble?" Hayley asked. "Does he still have feelings for her or something?"

Elijah and Rebekah exchanged glances.

"I'm not sure," Rebekah murmured.

Something told Hayley that she was sure. Of course Klaus had to make things as complicated as possible. Nothing could ever be easy with him.

* * *

Klaus blinked his eyes, only to regret for opening them in the first place. His head hurt like hell.

"Good morning," a female voice said.

Klaus smelled coffee and forced himself to turn his head.

"Camille?" he murmured.

"Yeah," the blonde said, handing him a cup of coffee. "I think you need this."

Slowly Klaus got into a sitting position and noticed that he was on Camille's sofa.

"Thank you," he murmured and took the cup from her. "How did I end up here?"

Camille raised an eyebrow.

"You don't remember? Well, you were wasted so I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

Klaus took a sip out of the cup, trying to recall what had happened last night. Unfortunately he started to remember. Mag… He had watched her having sex with Lucien. After that there were bits and pieces. He remembered drinking in a bar. He remembered two dark-haired women who had joined him. He remembered shagging them both in the restroom.

He had called them both Mag and told them to call him Niklaus. He had told them to cry out his name when he made them come. They had. Yet they hadn't sounded like Mag. He had drunk some more. And more. Finally he had broken into Camille's apartment. He had wanted to talk. Thankfully he had passed out before making a bigger fool out of himself.

"Are you alright?" Camille asked after a moment of silence.

"Sure," Klaus murmured. "I'm sorry for coming here like this."

"Don't worry about it. Did something happen? You seemed upset last night."

"I'm fine," Klaus assured. "Really."

He wasn't.

" _Ah…Ah… Oh God…"_

The image of Mag reaching her peak was all Klaus could think about. He had never seen anything so arousing. So perfect.

" _Oh God Mag…"_

That should have been him. She was _his_ wife. How dared Lucien touch her? She didn't belong to him, she belonged to Klaus. For so long Klaus had thought that he would never see her again. He had thought that he had lost her forever. She was here now. His wife. His. It was time to show her who she belonged to.

* * *

Mag yawned and stretched her arms before opening her eyes. The silky sheets felt wonderful against her naked skin, she smiled and reached for Lucien. He wasn't there. She turned her head and saw roses everywhere. There were dozens of them, placed all around the bedroom. Her smile grew wider; this was a very sweet gesture. There was a note on Lucien's pillow.

 _My sweet Mag_

 _Leaving this bed is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, but unfortunately I have an urgent matter to take care of. I'll be back very soon, hopefully before you wake up._

 _Yours_

 _Lucien_

Mag placed the note back on the pillow and got up. She was in an excellent mood, she felt like singing and dancing. It didn't matter that she was a terrible singer.

" _Good morning starshine, the earth says hello. You twinkle above us, we twinkle below. Good morning starshine, you lead us along. My love and me as we sing our early morning singing song…"_

She hopped to the bathroom and brushed her hair before turning the shower on. A blissful sigh escaped her lips as the warm water touched her skin. Everything felt perfect. Apparently she had really needed to get laid. The thought almost made her giggle. She closed her eyes and hummed while washing her hair. Suddenly she heard the bathroom door opening.

"Perfect timing," she said smiling. "Want to join me?"

Her back was turned to the door and her eyes were still closed when Lucien's fingers touched her neck and he sniffed her hair.

"It's really you…" he murmured.

Mag froze when she realized that the man standing behind her wasn't Lucien. She turned around and her eyes widened when she saw the familiar dark eyes staring at her.

"Kol…"


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

 _Hungary, 1005_

 _"This way, my beauties," Kol chuckled as he led four prostitutes into the mansion he and his siblings were staying at the moment. He was drunk and he had blood all over his face, but none of that mattered. Right now he wanted everything these women were able and more than willing to offer him. They would give him a brief but blessed moment of oblivion._

 _A moment without seeing Mag's face. Without hearing her voice. The memory of her haunted him day and night. None of his siblings knew that, they thought that he had lost all of his humanity. Become a true monster. He had. Without Mag, he had no reason to keep the monster away. For her, he would have been better. He would have been the man she deserved. He would have given her everything, been anything she wanted him to be._

 _If only she would have wanted him. If she would have loved him. Maybe she had, he would never know for sure. He had believed so easily that she had rejected him. He hadn't made sure of it, he had just left. For that he would regret for the rest of his life. He had regretted it almost immediately and went back to look for her, but she had been gone. There had been no trace of her. He would never know what had happened to her._

 _That was the burden he was forced to live with. He had never talked about Mag with his siblings, especially not with Nik who had become even worse than Kol. Hopefully Nik was suffering at least a little. He has had the most perfect woman and he had mistreated her during their whole marriage. Kol would have never done that; he would have made her happy. Mag…_

 _He forced himself to concentrate on the four women and led them towards his bedchamber. Unfortunately he bumped into Finn who glanced at him and the women gloomily. Nothing new there, Kol hadn't seen Finn smiling once since they had left France._

 _"Brother!" Kol greeted him cheerfully and wrapped his arms around two of the women. "You seem like you could use some fun, how about I give you one of my girls?"_

 _Finn's eyebrows furrowed, as always when he gave his siblings one of his judgmental looks._

 _"You are disgusting," he stated coldly._

 _Kol laughed as mockingly as he could._

 _"And you are boring. Come on girls, let's go and leave my prude brother alone so he can continue pouting."_

 _The women giggled as Kol groped them playfully._

 _"You know we lost her," Finn said very quietly after Kol had turned his back on him. "Nothing will change that."_

 _Kol tensed for a brief moment, but he controlled himself quickly._

 _"Run, my beauties," he chuckled. "I am going to catch you!"_

 _The women screamed and laughed as Kol chased them to his bedchamber. He couldn't think about Mag, not right now. He would never forgive himself, but for a brief moment, he would forget._

* * *

Mag was alive. Mag was in New Orleans. That was what Rebekah had said on the phone, but Kol still couldn't believe it. He was afraid to believe it. Could that really be true? He had been traveling around the world ever since leaving Mystic Falls after finally being undaggered and he had sworn to himself that he would never go anywhere near Nik again, but here he was.

He hadn't told Rebekah that he was coming here; he only wanted to see Mag. She was staying in a hotel with Lucien Castle. What was she doing with that arrogant brat? Not that it really mattered, Kol only wanted to see her with his own eyes. He entered the hotel suite without knocking and immediately picked up Mag's scent. It was different now when she wasn't a human anymore, but he still recognized it right away. She was here.

He inhaled her scent and heard the sound of running water. She was in the bathroom. Slowly he made his way towards the bathroom door, he felt like he was in a trance. Softly he pushed the door open and saw her. She was standing under the shower with her back turned, but he knew for sure now that it was really her. Water was running down her back, caressing her naked body.

"Perfect timing," she hummed softly. "Want to join me?"

Yes. Yes. Dear lord yes. He didn't even notice that he was moving before he was suddenly standing right behind her. Her skin looked smooth and her hair soft as silk. With a shaky hand he touched her neck and buried his face in her hair.

"It's really you…" he murmured.

He didn't notice her body stiffening before she turned around to face him. He could see all of her now, her face, her eyes, her breasts, the treat between her thighs… His mouth was watering as he stared at her.

"Kol…" she finally managed to say. "What…"

She gasped as he suddenly pulled her into his embrace. He couldn't control himself, his instincts had taken over. She was here. His Mag. By some miracle she really was right here in his arms. He pushed her wet body gently against the wall and kissed her fiercely. Her lips tasted just like he had remembered, he wanted to devour her. Taste her. Feel her. Have her. He was just about to lift her up when she suddenly broke free and slapped him.

"Kol Mikaelson, what the hell do you think you're doing?" she snarled angrily.

He stared at her and bit his bottom lip. This feisty Mag was really turning him on.

"You're so beautiful…" he murmured.

She frowned and turned the water off before crossing her arms.

"Hand me that bathrobe and turn around like a gentleman," she ordered.

He smiled and obeyed, how could he not.

"Alright, you can turn now," she stated after couple of seconds.

She had wrapped the bathrobe around her and she looked nothing but dignified. Like a true lady.

"Now I ask again, what the hell did you think you were doing?"

He really wasn't sure how to reply, he couldn't understand the intensity of his own behavior.

"I can't believe you're really here," was all he could say.

"I'm not some kind of a toy," she snapped. "You had no right to come here or touch me without my consent."

"I know," he murmured. "I'm sorry. I just… You have no idea how much I've missed you."

She was quiet for a moment before gesturing towards the door.

"I think I'll order some tea. We should probably talk."


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

Mag looked at her reflection in the mirror while brushing her wet hair. She had done that for much longer than would have been necessary. Leaving the dressing room was simply too much for her right now. First she had spent more than 20 minutes choosing what to wear. That was a long time, considering she didn't have very much clothes in her suitcase.

Finally she had chosen a pair of black jeans and a forest green print t-shirt. What should she do with her hair? A simple ponytail sounded like a good option. Or maybe… No, she needed to stop lingering and face Kol. He wasn't going anywhere, she was sure of it. She couldn't keep him waiting forever. Yet it took her few more minutes before she managed to stand up and walk out of the dressing room. Kol was waiting for her on the couch; he got up as she entered the living room.

"There you are, darling," he hummed smiling. "For a moment I thought you have climbed out of the window."

She was aware that he was joking, but the thought had in fact crossed her mind. Thankfully she wasn't that pathetic yet.

"Your tea arrived," he continued, glancing at the tray on the coffee table. "I hope it's not cold already."

"I apologize for keeping you waiting," she stated, managing to sound perfectly calm.

"That's alright," he assured smirking. "You're worth the wait."

She didn't know how to reply to that, the whole situation felt unreal to her. Facing him after all these years was different than facing the rest of the Mikaelsons. She had a very good reason to be angry at Elijah as well as Niklaus, but Kol… Maybe he had left her behind, but at least he had genuinely cared about her. She had been ready to spend the rest of her life with him. Without Elijah's compulsion, she would have probably married him. Whether or not it would have lasted, they would never know. She took a seat and poured herself a cup of tea.

"No, thank you," he replied when she asked did he want a cup as well.

"So, how are you?" she continued after he took a seat opposite her.

"I'm fine, thank you," he replied, clearly amused. _"Small-talk? Really?"_ his eyes were saying.

"And you, darling?"

"Fine. I'm fine."

"That's good to hear."

"Yeah… And how is your family?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"I assume you met them already?"

"Yes, I met Rebekah, Niklaus and Elijah. How is Finn?"

"Married," Kol replied immediately.

"Oh… That's nice to hear."

"Yes, he was reunited with his old flame a while ago and now they're married."

"I'm happy for him."

Mag truly meant that. Finn had been a good friend, he deserved to be happy.

"How long have you been in New Orleans?" she asked after a moment of silence.

"I just arrived," he replied.

"Oh. You came to help your family?"

He shook his head.

"No. I came to see you."

"Why?" she asked quietly.

His eyebrows furrowed.

"Why? Are you honestly asking me that?"

"Yes."

He stared at her for a long while before finally replying.

"I thought that you were dead," he stated tensely. "You let me believe that."

"You left me," she snapped before she managed to control herself. "After claiming that you loved me and wanted to spend your life with me, you just left me."

"You knew that we were leaving," he muttered tensely. "You didn't come."

Her eyes narrowed.

"It never occurred to you that something might have happened to me?" she hissed. "That the choice wasn't mine?"

He bowed his head.

"It did," he murmured. "Believe me, it did. I… I looked for you. I hated myself for leaving you."

She could hear the pain in his voice.

"I'm so sorry," he said quietly. "I know that I have no right to ask for your forgiveness, but I truly am sorry."

"Me too," she replied after a brief moment of silence.

Slowly he raised his head and looked at her.

"Mag… What happened to you?"

She wasn't sure how to reply. As much as she wanted to tell everyone what Elijah had done, she knew that she wouldn't hurt only him. She would ruin Kol's relationship with his brother for good. Did she really want to do that to him?

"I didn't reject you," she finally said. "I was going to choose you."

His face was blank as he leaned towards her.

"What happened?"

"I can't tell you the details," she murmured tensely. "What I can say is that I didn't choose to disappear."

"Tell me," he demanded. "I want to know."

She shook her head.

"I can't…"

No more than a second later he was next to her, cupping her face with his hands.

"Tell me!"

His dilated pupils forced her to obey. He was using compulsion on her. The words came out against her will. She told him about Elijah's compulsion and being kidnapped by Lucien, Tristan and Aurora. He forced her to tell him every humiliating detail. When he finally released her, the feeling of being completely violated brought tears to her eyes. How dared he?

"Mag…"

"Get out!" she shouted and zoomed away from him. "Get out!"

He tried to approach her, but she didn't allow that.

"Mag, please…"

"How dare you?!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. "You had no right!"

"I'm sorry…"

"No, you're not! You think I'm still that weak pathetic woman who allows men to treat her however they like? Unfortunately for you, that woman is dead. I'm done being mistreated."

"Mag, please, I didn't mean…"

He didn't finish his sentence when the door opened and Lucien entered the suite.

"You," Kol growled and tried to attack Lucien.

Fortunately Mag was faster, she zoomed between them.

"Enough!" she snapped. "You won't touch him."

"He took you," Kol snarled. "He raped you!"

"No, he didn't!" Mag shouted. "He thought that I was his wife and ironically he was a much better husband than Niklaus ever was."

Kol stared at her disbelievingly.

"Are you actually defending him?"

"Yes, I am," Mag replied firmly. "What happened wasn't his fault; his whole life was taken from him." She paused and took Lucien's hand. "I'm with him now. I choose him."

She wasn't sure did she only want to punish Kol for violating her mind or did a part of her actually mean it. She did care about Lucien a lot and he had always been there for her. Kol didn't say anything; he simply stared at her with a blank expression. Mag straightened her back and forced herself to calm down.

"I did care about you," she stated. "I still do. But I won't accept what you just did to me, so if you ever cared about me, I ask you to leave now."

She didn't really expect him to obey, but he did. Her hands were shaking violently as she closed the door behind him.

"Mag?" Lucien said gently and touched her shoulder.

She burst into tears, she couldn't help it. Thankfully Lucien didn't ask any questions, he simply wrapped his arms around her. All she wanted was to leave New Orleans and never look back. She didn't want to see any of the Mikaelsons again.


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

" _I didn't reject you… I was going to choose you... I was going to choose you… I was going to choose you… Choose you… Choose you…"_

Kol let out a furious growl and punched a hole in the wall. This couldn't be true. Mag would have chosen him. She would have been his. They could have built a life together. A happy life. He would have been a better man: For her. He would have loved her and taken care of her. His life would have been very different. Everything would have been better. His brother had taken all of that from him. His whole life.

Dark rage filled him; he would make his brother pay. The noble Elijah. How many times had he lectured Kol about honor and loyalty? About family. What a joke. Elijah was the one who had made his little brother what he was by taking Mag from him and then helped Nik daggering Kol again and again.

And why? Because Kol had acted like "a monster". What about Nik then? He had been way worse than Kol and yet Elijah had stayed by him. Always and forever. They could all go to hell. Kol was ready to send Elijah there himself. His rage kept rising as he headed to the compound.

"Elijah!" he shouted as soon as he arrived at the courtyard. "Elijah!"

He zoomed up the stairs and ran into some werewolf girl. A pregnant werewolf girl. The girl Nik had knocked up. Kol couldn't have cared less about that right now.

"Who the hell are you?" the girl asked.

"Out of my way," Kol snarled and shoved the girl aside. "Elijah!"

"He's not here," the girl snapped.

Kol turned to look at her.

"Where is he?"

The girl crossed her arms and glared at him.

"That's none of your business. Who are you?"

Kol's lips curved into a cold smile.

"Oh my apologies, where are my manners. Kol Mikaelson. And you're my brother's little werewolf tramp."

"Excuse me?" the girl snapped.

"Where is Elijah?" Kol growled.

"Why don't you just go to hell…"

No more than second later, Kol grabbed the girl by the throat.

"WHERE IS ELIJAH?!"

"Kol!" Rebekah's voice shouted. "What the hell are you doing, let her go! She's pregnant for heaven's sake!"

Kol was too furious to even hear what his sister was saying; all he cared about was finding Elijah. Two pairs of arms yanked him away from the girl who started to cough.

"Little brother," Nik snarled icily. "You really want a dagger in your chest, don't you?"

"Where is Elijah?" Kol repeated once again, ignoring his brother's meaningless threats.

"I have no idea," Nik replied angrily. "Why are you looking for him?"

Kol let out a maniacal laughter.

"Because I'm going to kill him."

"What?" Nik and Rebekah snapped in unison. "Have you lost your mind?!"

"Far from it," Kol chuckled. "I'm finally seeing everything clearly."

"What everything?" Nik snorted.

Kol smiled and looked at his brother.

"Do you know what happened to Mag in Marseille? Why she disappeared?"

Nik frowned.

"What are you…"

"I do," Kol cut in. "And I think you should know too."

* * *

Elijah knocked the door and crossed his arms. He needed to have a word with Mag. Find out if they could really trust her. He most certainly didn't trust Lucien, he never had. He needed to make sure that Hayley and her child would be safe. Unfortunately Lucien was the one who opened the door.

"Elijah," he stated. "What a glorious pleasure."

"I'm here to see Mag," Elijah replied coolly.

The look that Lucien gave him was anything but friendly.

"I'm sorry; she's resting at the moment. I can tell her that you dropped by…"

"I'm in no mood for games," Elijah cut in. "You can either tell her that I'm here or then I'll do it myself."

Lucien smiled.

"Hmm. I don't know if you're aware of this, but she didn't have to come here. She agreed to help Nik's child because she's a sweet and kindhearted woman. The least you and your family can do for her is to show her the respect she deserves:"

"Respect?" Elijah repeated. "I find that amusing coming from you. And I must say that I'm surprised she ever chose someone like you."

"Well," Lucien hummed smiling. "I might be many things, but at least I'm not a hypocrite."

"And I'm running out of patience," Elijah snapped. "So I suggest you move out of my way before…"

"Lucien," Mag's voice said as she appeared beside him. "It's fine."

Lucien glanced at her.

"Are you sure?"

She smiled at him and nodded.

"Yeah. Thank you."

He gave Elijah a brief glare before stepping aside.

"Hello, Mag," Elijah greeted her.

"Elijah," she replied and gestured him to come in.

"Thank you," he stated while entering the suite.

"So," she started and crossed her arms. "What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to ask do you have any test results yet."

"No," she replied. "You could have just called and ask that."

"Yes, I could have, but I wanted to have a word with you." He paused and glanced at Lucien. "In private."

"I think I'm staying right here," Lucien stated coldly. "She has already had more than enough "private" conversations with your family today."

Elijah frowned.

"What?"

"Kol was here," Mag stated tensely. "And… I should warn you. He knows."

"Knows what?"

"Everything," Lucien hummed. "About how you compelled me, Tristan and Aurora, how we took Mag with us, how you made me believe that she was my wife…"

"What? You took her with you?"

"Surely you knew that," Mag stated coldly.

Elijah stared at her for a moment before he was able to reply.

"No… No, I didn't know. I… That was never my intention."

"What did you expect then?" Lucien snapped. "You made me believe that I was Nik, did you honestly think that he would simply leave his wife behind?"

Elijah didn't know what to say. Obviously he had wondered what had happened to Mag, but this had never even crossed his mind.

"Mag…. I never meant… This was not my intention."

"Perhaps not," Mag replied coolly. "But you still compelled Lucien, Tristan and Aurora. You took their lives."

"I was protecting my family," Elijah argued. "Including you. You were a part of that family."

"You didn't see what your compulsion did to them," Mag snapped. "I did. It left them traumatized for a long time. It broke Aurora's mind."

"Why do you care about that if they kidnapped you? And why on earth are you with Lucien now?"

Mag looked at him coldly.

"Lucien and I lived as a husband and a wife for over a century and unlike your brother, he was a good husband."

"What do you mean you lived as a husband and a wife? Did he compel you?"

"He thought that I had lost my memories, but that's not important right now." She paused and sighed. "I'm afraid this is going to be very messy."


End file.
